Naruto: Rewind
by Sailor Saba
Summary: Set two months after the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto and Sakura's lives are changed forever when they encounter a young female ninja by the name of Nagisa. Then, they both realize that their fate is taken out of their hands, when an enemy decides to turn back time to set things right again... Pairing: NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

_A young girl at the age of five was playing in a grassy field while butterfiles flew around her. She saw a few of them land on some flowers as she smiled in awe. After several minutes, she turned around to see two grown-ups waving at her. Smiling and laughing the little girl ran towards them. "Mommy! Daddy!" she shouted._

_**"If only I could rewind this moment forever..."**_

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter One**_

It was early in the morning; the sun started to rise over the Hokage Monument. In the Hokage office, the 6th Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, had a private meeting with one of his students, Naruto Uzumaki.

"So..." Naruto began, "...This was the higher-ups decision about **Sasuke**?" "Yes," Kakashi replied, "Although it has been **two months **since the war ended, the verdict was final: _ Sasuke can no longer stay in the Hidden Leaf Village_." "What about the charges against him?" "It was determined that all the charges have been dropped, but the charge of killing Danzo stays." Naruto's eyes looked downward towards the floor in confusion; after all the times he said that he would bring back Sasuke home, his best friend couldn't stay...

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do anymore, Naruto," Kakashi replied, trying to give his pupil some comfort.

Several minutes later, Naruto met up with Team 7 comrade, Sakura Haruno, as they walked through the city of the village.

"So, that's what happened, eh?" Sakura asked. "Yeah," Naruto answered, "We shouldn't be surprised, though. After Neji's funeral, Sasuke said that he was going to find his own road to redemption. Too bad, we don't know how long it will be before he reaches redemption." Naruto then stopped talking long enough to see Sakura looking sad. "Are you okay about this?" he asked. "Yeah, I am!" she said with her eyes closed as she smiled at him, "Why wouldn't I be? I mean, after all, it just like you said, _this_ was Sasuke's way of redeeming himself."

Naruto could tell that Sakura was lying; she wanted Sasuke back in the village more than anybody. Because, he understood her more than anything. "Speaking of Neji's funeral," Sakura spoke up, "Have you talked to **Hinata** yet?" "Actually, I did," Naruto responded, "After everything that went down, she and I agreed not to pursue a relationship right now." "Right now?! But..." Naruto waved his hands and said, "I already know about the confession. But, she needs to worry about her own family. Besides, Kiba said he'd watch out for her..."

As the two made their way towards the Training Field, they stopped and remembered all of the good things that came out of it: Team 7's bell training, Naruto's Rasenshuriken training, and many more. Sakura looked around the whole field as the wind blew silently. Then she looked at Naruto, who was sitting and leaning on to the very same stump he was tied to when he was a kid. "Everything changed when the war ended, didn't it?" she said silently. "Yeah, it did," he said with a faint smile. He then looked up to the clear, blue sky.

Everything was quiet to between them for a least a minutes. Unbeknownst to Naruto, Sakura sat next to him. The wind continued to blow quietly around them. "Hey, Sakura..." Naruto spoke up. She turned her head to look at him. "What is it?" "I was thinking...Huh?!"

Before he could even finish his train of thought, Naruto felt the wind shift. Sakura felt it too as they both looked forward to see an 11-year old girl, with beautiful, long, rose-colored hair. She wore orange obsidian armor, which covered her chest and had a slight bulge, a bluebottle orange blouse with a windswept dress of the same color beneath the armor. To top it off, the girl wore a headband with the leaf insignia on it. Her beautiful emerald-colored stared at Naruto and Sakura as she smiled at them.

"It's an honor to finally meet the hero of the Shinobi War," the 11-year girl said. "Who...?" Sakura said in awe, "Who are you?" The little girl said nothing as she approached them slowly. "I've never seen you before," Naruto said, "Are you one of the new group of Genin?" She grabbed Naruto's hand as she said, "Don't worry, everything will be made clear." "Made clear...?" Hearing Sakura's question, the little girl smiled and grabbed her hand as well. "You can come, too..."

Seconds later, Naruto and Sakura closed their eyes and fell asleep. "Don't worry, everything will be made clear," the little girl said, "Soon..."

_**Two Days Later...**_

Naruto wrestled to open his eyes. He sat up and rubbed them afterwards. "I never slept that well before," he breathed, then, in a panic looked around, "Uh...Sakura...?" He turned around to see Sakura, in a bed, asleep. "Hey, Sakura! Wake up!" he said nudging her awake.

Sakura twitched a little as she sat up rubbing her eyes. "What happened?" she asked, "That was a long, drawn-out nap. But, I've never been so rejuvinated." Then, she began to look around. "Where are we?" "You got me..." Naruto began, "...I just woke up and we were in this room." "This looks like my room," Sakura said standing up, "Only...I don't remember having two beds..." "What the hell happened when we fell asleep?" "I just hope nothing happened..." Sakura then narrowed her eyes at Naruto suspiciously. "Nothing DID happen right, Naruto?!" she said angrily. "What are you looking at me for!?" Naruto said in defense. "WHAT did you do?!" "I'm telling you, I didn't do anything!"

Sakura didn't pay attention as she walked closer to Naruto. The whole building shook as Naruto screamed in pain. The Orange Ninja had a big knot on his head seconds later. "I didn't..." Naruto continued to plead his case. "That was for anything you were thinking of!" Sakura said with her arms folded. She then looked down to see that she was wearing a new outfit. It was a white and pink outfit. "I'm wearing new clothes?" she asked. Naruto, regaining his senses, looked down to see that he was wearing new clothes as well. He was wearing a black shirt, but still kept his orange pants. He was wearing a long, black trenchcoat with a hood with light orange linings. Although, the sleeves were long enough, his prosthetic arm was still bandaged up. "Now that you mention it," he said, "I'm wearing different clothes too."

After minutes of confusion, both Naruto and Sakura walked outside the building to take a look around the village. "It doesn't look like nothing has changed," Sakura said. "Well, we better see what Kakashi-sensei has to say about this," Naruto said as they both headed towards the Hokage Office.

Knocking on the door, Naruto and Sakura entered the office and saw Kakashi-sensei looking at some paperwork.

"Ah, good timing!" he said, "It seems that you two are in time for a mission..." "Kakashi-sensei," Sakura began, "What is going on around here?" "I thought I just explained it to you..." "Not that, why was Naruto in my room, in my house, when I woke up?" "Don't you two live together?" Kakashi plainly said. Her face went blank immediately. "We're what...?" she breathed. "Well, the two of you are childhood friends after all. Besides, both of your **mothers** agreed upon it, remember?"

"Our mothers?" Sakura asked snapping out of her blank state, "You mean?" _'My mother...is alive...?'_ Naruto thought.

"We can talk about your personal life later," Kakashi replied, "Right now, you have a mission to accomplish." "What kind of mission is it, Sensei?" Sakura asked. "The two of you are to infiltrate a bandit lair just on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. There has been some activity that a clan of bandits are trying to assemble." "Bandits?" Naruto asked, "But the Fourth Shinobi War is over. It should be peace time already!" "Well, it has been _**quite a long time **_since the ended."

_'A long time?'_ Naruto thought. _'But, the war ended two months ago...!'_ "It took a while for the bandits to come out of hiding after the war," Kakashi replied, "However, I don't want to leave things to chance. Shikamaru will be your leader for your mission; he'll be waiting at the gate, but I have prepared for you to be a four-man team." "Who going to be our fourth person?" Sakura asked, "Is it Lee? Or Kiba? Ino, maybe?" "Actually, a rookie Genin, who just graduated, requested to take part on this mission."

A knock at the door suddenly came. "That should be the rookie, right now," Kakashi replied, "You can come in." "Excuse me," the rookie Genin said. Opening the door, Naruto and Sakura were shocked to see the person they saw before them. _'It's her...!'_ Naruto thought. _'That's the girl Naruto and I saw right before we fell asleep...'_ Sakura thought too. "Naruto! Sakura! This young girl and Genin is _**Nagisa Inugami**_," Kakashi responded, "She will your fourth teammate."

As Nagisa smiled happily, Naruto and Sakura turned their heads into confusion.

_**Who is this Nagisa Inugami? And, how does she know all about Naruto?**_

_** To Be Continued...**_

_**A/N: I know that NS Fans are upset, so I have created a different kind of ending after the war. I will not bash on Hinata, because she is my favorite secondary character; I just felt that it should of been more Naruto & Sakura-ish. Please Review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_** Previously: **__Two months after the Fourth Shinobi War, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno contemplate on the future. Then, they meet a little girl named Nagisa Inugami; afterwards they both wake up in a room with different outfits. After meeting with their sensei-now-turned-Hokage, Kakashi, they await a mission with Shikamaru Nara..._

_ ...As well as a fourth team member all too familiar to them._

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Two**_

Walking through the streets of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Naruto and Sakura walked towards the entrance as Nagisa Inugami, the girl they met before, followed behind them.

"Something's not adding up!" Naruto said punching his fist into his hand. "Calm down, Naruto!" Sakura said, "I'm just as confused as you are. So many things has happened over these last two days. And, we were asleep at the time..."

_"What are you guys confused about?"_ Nagisa said making Sakura jump. She turned around to the young, long-haired Genin. "It's nothing!" she replied quickly, "Just two grown-ups here talking!" As the three of them made to the entrance, they saw Shikamaru waiting for them. Naruto noticed something different about his good friend. "Shikamaru, is that a beard?" he asked. "Yeah," Shikamaru replied, "It finally filled in. Look, I know it's drag that we are being dragged to the outskirts of the Land of Fire, but Gaara and Kakashi wanted the borders between the Sand and Leaf Villages clear of Bandit Activity."

"Is it really that bad?" Sakura asked. "If it wasn't," Shikamaru began, "We wouldn't be going out on this mission." "Don't worry about it!" Nagisa said speaking up, getting excited, "Once we get to that Bandits' Lair, we kick'em out of our land for good!" "So, you must be Nagisa Inugami, the rookie Genin that I've heard about." "That's me, Shikamaru-sensei!" "Look, it's kind of a drag to be letting a rookie take part in a mission like this. So, I'll say this once: You are NOT to go anywhere by yourself and you are to stay with either Naruto, Sakura, or myself. Is that clear?" "Yes, Sir!" Shikamaru then turned around and said, "Alright, let's get this mission underway! If we hurry, we can make it to the Bandits' Lair by sunset."

Making their way to the Bandits' Lair, Shikamaru was leading the pack as they rushed. Nagisa was behind him as Naruto and Sakura pull up from the rear. Sakura noticed that Naruto was slowing down and slowed down with him. "Naruto?" she asked, "Is something the matter?" "Doesn't it seem strange?" Naruto asked, "Things have really changed in the past two days alone. First, we meet this little girl, and then later, everything is backwards!"

Sakura didn't want to admit it, but Naruto was right. She looked forward at the young girl, Nagisa. Several thoughts pondered her mind: Who is Nagisa? Is she really a Genin from the Leaf? What does she have to hide? "Let's not try to think about that now," she replied, "We'll focus on the mission for the time being." Naruto nodded in agreement. _'But, when this is over, I'll be talking to her face-to-face! Believe it!'_ he then thought.

Back at the village, a knock came at the door to the Hokage's Office. As the door opened Kakashi listened to the person who came in. "I heard that a Genin, who had just graduated, ask to be part of a B-Rank Mission with three high-level Shinobi," the person said. "Yes," Kakashi answered, "the Genin known as Nagisa Inugami. You should know her by now, **Yamato**." "Inugami?" Yamato said surprised, "You mean..._**HIS**_ daughter...?" "Even I was surprised at the fact that she would request such a thing..."

The former member of the ANBU Black Ops walked closely to Kakashi's desk with worriness. "I don't like this, Senpai," he said, "Especially, with _her father_ and with everything that happened..." "I know," Kakashi said standing up and looking out the window, "But, put it this way Yamato: Just talking about _what happened that day_, doesn't really go by that fast...even with age..."

It was nearly sunset; the Bandits' Lair, a tall building in the middle of nowhere, was sitting on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. Shikamaru, Naruto, Sakura, and Nagisa were keeping a close eye on it as several bandits were wallking around.

"All right," Shikamaru said, "According to the request, there is, at least thirty Bandits in at place. Our mission is to make sure that they don't cause any trouble. We'll enter the building as ourselves and start a peaceful movement." Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement, but Nagisa was not happy. "How come we can't go in there and bust some heads?!" she asked. "We don't want to make a scene, Nagisa!" Sakura replied. "Sakura is right, Nagisa!" Shikamaru answered, "If we start making trouble here, it could mean trouble for the Leaf Village." Nagisa pouted as they got ready to reveal themselves.

As the four of them approached the entrance, bandits showed up to intervene. "Well, what do we have here?" one of the bandits said. "We're here as reprensentatives for the Village Hidden in the Leaves," Shikamaru responded, "We want to speak with your leader." "So you want to speak to the boss, eh? Very well..." Seconds later, the four of them had their wrists cuffed in chains. "What the hell is this?!" Naruto shouted. "Standard precedure, Kid!" another bandit said, "All outsiders must wear these shackles so they won't cause any trouble!" _'Great!'_ Shikamaru thought. _'If this is the way they treat guests, then it must one hell of a drag to see how they treat their members!'_

After climbing up two sets of stairs, the team were then escorted to the top of the Bandits' Lair to meet with the Bandit Leader. "What do we have here?" the leader replied, "Two-bit ninja lackeys from the Leaf? And, what is it that you want from me?" _'This guy is the gang leader?'_ Sakura thought with a disgusting look on her face. _'He's got a patch over his eye and his right leg is broken. If he had a girlfriend, he wouldn't be able to please her! Cha!'_

"We, from the Leaf Village, come as an envoy!" Shikamaru responded, "We kindly ask that you and your crew of bandits depart from this building and from the Land of Fire." "What makes you think that I would do that, after we had settled in?" the leader asked. "We wouldn't come if it wasn't for a reason! After all, it is peace time..." "That is absolutely right, Kid! It is peace time! After so many years, bandits, all around the ninja world, can loot and plunder whatever we want! Now that slimeball, **Orochimaru**, has kicked the bucket, that is what we planning on doing!" _'Orochimaru is dead...?'_ Naruto thought. _'Someone actually killed him...'_ Sakura thought. She and Naruto looked at each other with confusion.

"But," the leader began to speak again, "since you're so forward to produce peace throughout the world, I'll make a deal with you! Myself, as well as my men here, won't do anything illegal for a while, as long as the two girls over agree to be part of my gang!" "We didn't agreed to that!" Naruto said out loud, "We want you out of the Land of Fire, not steal our comades from us!" "I knew it was a bad idea!" Nagisa shouted out. "This is your last warning!" Shikamaru replied, "We want you to leave!" "And what are you going to do if we don't? Let's not forget, your wrists are shackled!" _"And, that's the mistake you've made since the begining!"_ Nagisa said suddenly.

"What are you doing, little girl!?" the Bandit Leader asked. "Like you said," Nagisa began, "Our _wrists _are shackled, but NOT our _hands_! Throughout this whole time, I've been doing handsign to perform a jutsu!" "You WHAT?!" "Shikamaru-sensei! Naruto! Sakura! GET DOWN!" As she perform the Tiger Handsign, Nagisa activated her jutsu. _**"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! (Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!)"**_ Numerous, but small fireballs appeared attacking the Bandits' Lair, the bandits, as well as hitting the shackles.

Taking off the shackles, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sakura shook their wrists as Nagisa wrapped a belt, with a sword, around her waist. "What are you waiting for?!" the Bandit Leader shouted, "Get them, you wimps!" "Everyone, scatter!" Shikamaru shouted. As they separated, Sakura found herself in front of three thugs. "Now, boys!" she said in a fighting stance, "Be gentle with me!" The thugs rushed her, but in a second, she elbowed one in the jaw, punched another in the face, and kicked the third, knocking them out instantly. "I never said that I was going to be gentle on you!" she then replied.

_**"Shadow Strangle Jutsu!"**_ Shikamaru shouted, as his shadow attached itself to a few bandits and knocking them out, "There should be more coming from downstairs!" "Then let's take care of all of them!" Naruto shouted throwing up a handsign of his own, _**"Shadow Clone Jutsu! (Kage Bushin no Jutsu!)"**_ Ten clones of Naruto raced downstairs and attacked the remaining bandits.

A few minutes later, every bandit was injured or knocked unconscious. "Well," Naruto began, "That should be the last of them. The only one left is the leader..." "Wait a minute," Sakura said, "Where's Nagisa?" The two of them, including Shikamaru, turned around to see Nagisa, with a sword in hand, fighting the Bandit Leader. "You're pretty good for a little girl," the leader said smirking. "I could say the same about you," Nagisa replied, "Considering that you have a broken leg!" Nagisa attacked again, knocking the bandit out the window the building. She followed him as the others followed suit as it was close to nighttime.

"I can't believe that the four of you kids, from the Leaf, are causing me this much trouble," the Bandit Leader said, "It's too bad about you two girls, though. You could have been great bandits if you would have taken the initiation..." "There ain't enough _sake_ in the whole Leaf Village to get me to go there!" Sakura said. "And, considering you don't know how to treat girls properly, I'm going to show some respect right now!" Nagisa shouted, stabbing her sword into the ground and performing a seven-handsign jutsu, _**"Fire Style: Flame Dragon Strike! (Katon: Enryuugeki!)"**_

A small fireball shot from her mouth and, at a quick speed, hit the leader. A row of fire came afterwards. "Wow!" Naruto said in awe, "That's some unique fire!" _'Then again, Sasuke was able to do that at her age too...'_

However, the Bandit Leader walked out of the fire, unscathed. "I'm must admit," he said, "You actually had me worried; you could have killed me, that is, if I didn't learn how to wield chakra!" "He can use chakra too?!" Naruto said. "It's not surprising," Shikamaru said, "He could have been an exiled ninja, for all we know!" "All the more reason to take him down!" Nagisa said putting up another handsign. "Wait a minute!" Naruto said in shock, "That's the...!?"

_**"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**_ Nagisa shouted as a replica appeared beside her. They both nodded in agreement and started racing towards the bandit. "It doesn't matter what you do!" the leader replied. "NOW!" Nagisa's replica started placing chakra in the real one's right hand until the chakra, itself, became a spiraling sphere. "No way!" Sakura said in shock, "It can't be...!" She then looked at Naruto was in awe. As the Bandit Leader thrusted his sword, Nagisa launched her techinque. _**"Rasengan!"**_

The spiraling sphere collided with the sword at an even deadlock. Nagisa placed more chakra inside, creating a beam from the Rasengan. The Bandit was knocked back towards a tree, rendering him unconscious. "And that," Nagisa replied, "is the end of the mission!" "Well," Shikamaru began, with arms folded, "Maybe it wasn't a drag bringing her along after all." "That's impossible!" Sakura said to herself, "She knows the Rasengan?"

Naruto said nothing as he stared at the young Genin...

_** Naruto stared in awe as Nagisa Inugami, the mysterious girl, has just performed the Rasengan. No doubt it is the same techinque, that the Fourth Hokage, Jiraya, and himself. With the mystery revolving around Nagisa becomes bigger, Naruto and Sakura must now get answers from the source...Nagisa herself...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Previously****: **_Waking up after two whole days, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno are recruited for a mission by Hokage Kakashi Hatake. One of their teammates happened to be Nagisa Inugami, the same girl they had encounter before. During the mission to infiltrate a bandits' lair, Nagisa displayed a level of power, even for a Genin, as well as Naruto's ace technique, the Rasengan._

_ Naruto and Sakura now know that Nagisa is NO ordinary Shinobi..._

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Three**_

_**The Next Day...**_

At the training grounds, Naruto and Nagisa stood face-to-face against each other. Sakura stood on the sidelines, staring at the both of them.

"Okay, Nagisa!" Naruto said, "We saw you show promise during your first mission. Now, I'm going to see if you're as strong as you claim to be!" "Sure, Naruto!" Nagisa said smiling, "After all, it's an honor to test my strength against you!" "Right! Let's go!" Both Naruto and Nagisa displayed the same handsign afterwards. _**"Shadow Clone Jutsu! (Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!)" **_One replica, of each, appeared right beside the original.

_'I sure hope Naruto is okay with this!'_ Sakura thought. _'He hasn't actually calmed down since we got back...'_

_**(Flashback)**_

Entering the Hokage's office, Naruto immediately slammed his hands on Kakashi's desk.

"Kakashi-sensei, we need to talk!" Naruto shouted as Sakura and Shikamaru appeared behind him. "Is there a reason you're slamming your hands on my desk?" Kakashi said calmly. "Can you explain how in the world Nagisa Inugami knows the Rasengan!? I don't remember teaching her a high-level jutsu like that!" "Is that all?" "What do you mean, _is that all_?" "I know for a fact that you didn't teach the Rasengan..."

_'He knows?'_ Sakura thought. "Then how does she...?" Naruto breathed. "She learned the Rasengan from her father," Kakashi replied, "Her father, _your best friend_, was the one who taught her. " "My best friend?" "You've known him since childhood..." _'Since childhood...?' _"When you learned the Rasengan from Jiraya, you taught to her father several months afterwards. When Nagisa became of age, she learned it." "It more than that, Sensei..." Sakura said speaking up.

"Oh?" Kakashi said, "What do you mean by that, Sakura?" "It was when Nagisa performed the Rasengan," Sakura began, "She displayed a level of chakra, no other Genin has ever produced. Even Naruto never had that much..." "Well, I not all that surprised. After all, she is one the most popular girls of her generation. Not to mention, Nagisa is one of the top-ranked rookies of the new class; it's really not that surprising..." Naruto and Sakura were astonished at the response. "Look, if you're not so sure about it, go ahead and test out her power. Then Naruto..." Naruto looked at his sensei as he stayed quiet.

"Should you find yourself convinced about Nagisa...come back and see me..."

Moments later, Naruto and Sakura left the Hokage Office with Naruto getting frustrated. "Calm down, Naruto!" Sakura said. "How do you expect to calm down, Sakura?" Naruto said, "I never taught anyone, except for Konohamaru, that technique. Especially, when it took me forever and a day to even master it." "Well, Kakashi-sensei did say that Nagisa was taught by her father, who happens to be your best friend..."

Both of them stopped walking afterwards. "You don't think...?" Sakura wondered. "It's not **Sasuke**," Naruto bluntly said, "He doesn't mold his chakra like I do..." "Then, who is this _best friend_ of yours..." "Let's go see if we can get anything out of Nagisa first..."

_**(End Flashback)**_

_'Naruto...'_ Sakura thought.

"Are you ready, Nagisa?" Naruto asked. "I'm ready!" Nagisa said smiling. Both of their shadow clones started gathering chakra into the original's hand. Sakura looked carefully as they both molded chakra their own way. The shadow clones disappeared afterwards. Three seconds later, the originals raced towards and collided Rasengan. Putting everything they have into the attack, a small flash occurred, forcing Sakura to close her eyes. A minute later, she opened them to see that Naruto and Nagisa were pushed backwards; however, Naruto was pushed back farther.

"She...pushed back Naruto farther?" Sakura breathed. "Wow!" Nagisa said smiling, "That was amazing! Can we do that again?" _'She wants to do that again?!'_ Naruto thought. Getting frustrated, he summoned another shadow clone. "Woah!" Sakura shouted getting involved, "Calm down, Naruto! This was only to test her strength and it worked!" "What do you mean, _calm down_!?" Naruto shouted, "There's no way that runt is going to be the best of me!" Sakura, then, appeared in front of him with a sinister look on her face. "I said _CALM DOWN!_" she spoke evil-ly. "Yes, Ma'am!" Naruto said with a shriveled-up voice.

Twenty minutes later, back at the apartment, Naruto laid on his bed in frustration. _"Hmph!"_ Naruto sulked. "Can you stop sulking for once?" Sakura asked packing a bag, "Just admit that she is as strong as you are." "There ain't enough ramen in the Land of Fire for me to admit that!" Naruto said, then sat up, "By the way, where you going?" "When you left the training grounds in a huff, I promised to spend time with Nagisa in the bathhouses." "What am I supposed to do then?" "I thought that you were supposed to meet back with Kakashi-sensei..."

With Naruto still sulking, Sakura placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Speaking of ramen, how about we get some at Ichiraku later?" "I guess that's okay," he said.

At the entrance of the bathhouses, Sakura met up with Nagisa. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting?" Sakura asked. "I just got here myself," Nagisa replied.

Entering the changing room, the girls taking off their gear. Nagisa, immediately, ran towards the hot spring. "Nagisa! Put your clothes away!" Sakura shouted after noticing her clothes on the floor of the bathhouse, "Geez, she's just like Naruto...in a way." As she picked them up, Sakura noticed something different. _'Her clothes...'_ she thought. _'They're so heavy...'_

Several minutes, Sakura joined Nagisa in the hot spring. "Ah, this feels so good!" Nagisa said stretching. "You sound like an old man, Nagisa," Sakura said smiling, "Then again, we all sound like that when we need a good soak. By the way..." "You're wondering why my clothes are heavy, right?" Sakura was taken aback at the response. "How did you know?" "My clothes, as well as my Ninja Gear, are all heavy." "How _heavy_ are we talking?" Nagisa paused for a minute to think.

"I'd say..." she began, "...at least twenty pounds." Sakura nearly jumped at the response. "TWENTY POUNDS!?" she shouted. "Well, it all started with I was eight years old! My daddy put me on five-pound weighted clothes; at nine and ten-years, it was ten-pounds. Now, I'm stuck with twenty-pounds." Sakura looked at her with a weird look on her face. _'She reminds me of __**Lee**__!'_ she thought. _'And he was a training freak!' _"I guess my daddy wanted to train me early, so when I grow up, I can take care of myself." Nagisa replied. "Oh, right! Speaking of your daddy," Sakura began, "I heard from the Hokage that it was him that taught you the Rasengan, am I right?" "Yes, it was. Naruto was, indeed, my father's best friend. He learned it from him from their childhood." "Well, how does your **mother** feel about you learning such a high-level jutsu?"

"My mommy's dead..." Nagisa said silently, "...She died when I was an infant." "Oh," Sakura said feeling sad, "I'm sorry for pulling that up. But, during the mission, you displayed jutsu that would've taken years to develop." Nagisa started smiling again afterwards. "I'll tell you a little secret..."

A knock came at the door of the Hokage's Office. "Come in," Kakashi said. Naruto entered the office as he said, "I'm back, Kakashi-sensei." "So, were you able to test Nagisa's strength?" "I'll admit," Naruto said sulking again, "She has potential, but that still doesn't explain how Nagisa can the Rasengan at its fullest potential when it took me over three years to master..." "All right," Kakashi said, "I'll tell you a little secret."

Naruto walked over to Kakashi's desk to listen. "The reason why Nagisa is able to do high-jutsu is because...as of right now, **she has twice the amount of chakra than you did when you were that age...**" "What?" Naruto said confused. "And," Kakashi began again, "The other reason, why she is able to push techinques to their highest potential, is because she has a _**Kekkei Genkai**_..."

"A Kekkei Genkai?!" Naruto shouted.

-

"Your family has a Kekkei Genkai?" Sakura said looking at Nagisa. "Yes," Nagisa answered, "My family's Kekkei Genkai...is a _**rare skill of Chakra Manipulation.**_" Sakura's eyes widen at the response...

_**Naruto and Sakura finally get the answers concerning Nagisa's unusual power: She has a Kekkai Genkai! But, what type of Chakra Manipultion is it? And how rare is this skill that makes Nagisa so powerful?**_

_** A/N: In the next chapter, I'll put in some romance between Naruto and Sakura. Until then, please review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Previously**__: Nagisa Inugami. Ever since Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno have met her, strange things have started to happen. For starters, the first time they've met, Naruto and Sakura realize that their lives have changed in the past two days. During a mission, Nagisa displayed levels of power no other Genin could fathom and bested Naruto in a test of strength. _

_ With Sakura spending time with Nagisa, and Naruto talking to Kakashi, both of them found out that Nagisa has a Kekkei Genkai, a rare skill of Chakra Manipulation..._

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Four**_

Naruto couldn't believe what he heard about Nagisa. "A Kekkei Genkai?" he asked, "Are you sure about that?" "Yes," Kakashi replied, "As a matter of fact, her type of Kekkei Genkai is a rare one in fact." "What do you mean?"

At the Hot Spring, Sakura listened to Nagisa about the same situation. "You said something about _Chakra Manipulation_..." she replied. "Like this..." Nagisa replied placing her hand in the water. Just flexing her muscles, she created a large wave. Sakura was in awe at the whole segment. "_That_ is my Kekkei Genkai," Nagisa replied afterwards, "My daddy, my late mother, and myself have the ability to _control and amplify our chakra in short, intense bursts_." "Amplify her chakra?" Sakura whispered.

"Short, intense bursts?!" Naruto said, "I never heard of chakra being used like that before." "Neither have I," Kakashi replied, "Like I said before, Nagisa is one of the top-ranked Genin of her class. Like you, she places an ensured amount of chakra in her techniques. But, just by manipulating certain points of her Chakra Network, she can boost the chakra output _effortlessly_ and _flawlessly_. That's how all of her Ninjutsu, as well as her Taijutsu, get that extra kick."

"Then," Naruto began, "how much chakra does she have? Cause, there's no way she can be just as powerful..." "I'm not going to lie to you, Naruto," Kakashi began, "When you were growing up...you had high-level chakra you couldn't control yet. When the seal on **Kurama** was slightly broken, you had twice the amount. Compare to yours, if I had to guess..." Naruto stayed very quiet to hear the answer from his sensei. "Nagisa Inugami has four-times the amount of chakra you have..." "Wha...Four-times!?" Kakashi's look didn't changed in the least. "How is it able that she is able to smile at everything she does?" Naruto asked again, "Doesn't she know how strong she is?"

"_That_ is exactly why she smiles," Kakashi answered. "What do you mean by that?" "Nagisa may be the most popular of her generation, but when you have Kekkei Genkai like that, it's no surprised that she is _alone_..." "Alone?" Naruto said quieting his voice. "Most of Nagisa's friends are too scared to be near here due to her power. Plus, the other reason...is her mother..."

"Her mother?" Naruto asked. "Nagisa's mother...died in the war..." "She was one of the victims in the war..." Naruto's seriousness turned to sadness quickly. "That's the reason why she smiles so much...She tries to hide the pain..."

Several minutes afterwards, Naruto left the office and walked among the streets of the village.

"I never realized that she's going through so much," he replied, "She lost her mom in the war. I should have been nicer to her, because I know what she's going through..." Then, he started thinking. _'Then again...'_ he thought. _'My mom is alive...Something doesn't seem right...'_

_"Naruto?"_ a voice said breaking him out of thought. Naruto turned to his right and another one of his friends he grew up with. _**"H-Hinata?"**_ he breathed. "What are you doing out here?" Hinata asked again. Naruto was afraid to answer; the girl he thought was strange growing up, was now the object of true affection for him. "Well," he said, "I just came back from visiting Kakashi-sensei. What about you?" "I just came back from visiting Neji's grave. I was on my way back home." "Well, do you want some company?" "Sure, I like that..." With that, Naruto escorted Hinata back home.

Back at the bathhouses, Sakura and Nagisa were finished bathing and had put on their robes. Sakura was, now, brushing Nagisa's long hair.

"There we go, Nagisa," Sakura replied braiding Nagisa's hair, "How do you like it?" Nagisa checked her braided hair in the mirror. "It's perfect!" she said, "Sakura, you did a great job!" "Thanks. Considering I use to brush **Ino**'s hair when we were kids, this is nothing. So, the next time, you go out, you'll look more beautiful than you already are..."

Several minutes of letting Sakura brush her hair, Nagisa spoke up. "Hey, Sakura?" "What is it, Nagisa?" Sakura asked. "Do you..._like_...Naruto?" Sakura was taken aback at the question. "Uh...Well, uh...Where did this...come from?" she barely said. "It just that...you and Naruto are always together. Not to mention, you two do live together..." "That was just a matter of circumstances...! Besides, you're eleven; you're not old enough to tell me who I like..."

"Well," Nagisa began, "I should be! My dad told me that you're the one that Naruto ever talks about." "Can we just drop the subject now?" Sakura said turning her body around. "See!" Nagisa said grinning, "When it's always about Naruto, my daddy said you always turn away from it! Come on, fess up!" _'What is it about her dad, that he knows so much about me and Naruto?!'_ Sakura thought blushing.

Making their way to the Hyuuga household, Naruto and Hinata stayed silent. Naruto's eyes moved from and towards the Hyuuga girl. Who could blame him? Considering he just realized that the girl who had spilled out her feelings for him during the battle with Pain. "So," Hinata began, breaking the silence, "What have you been up to?" "Sakura, Shikamaru, and I just finished a mission, along with a rookie Genin named Inugami..." "Nagisa had a mission with you three?!" Hinata said excited. "You know about Nagisa?" Naruto asked. "Of course. After all, she is my _Goddaughter_." _'Her Goddaughter?'_

"You know," Hinata began, "I wa a very shy, little girl back then. And, over the years, I started to have a crush on a certain, young boy." "That..." Naruto began, "...wouldn't happen to be me, would it?" "No, silly. I'm talking about Nagisa's father, _**Garudo Inugami**_." _'That's Nagisa's father?'_ "I use to have the biggest crush on him. With you, him, and Sasuke, you three caused all kinds of trouble. I was going to tell Garudo about my feelings, but instead, he married his wife. Jealous I may have been, I felt kinda bad for what happened to her..." _'Is this the way she looked at me?'_ Naruto thought.

"Actually, I was happy that he had somebody to make him happy," Hinata replied, "Nothing else mattered to me..." Naruto continued to stare at her silently.

Without them realizing it, Naruto and Hinata made it to her house. "Well," Hinata said, "I'm finally here. So, I'll see you later Naruto. And, if you see Nagisa, tell her I said _hi_." "Yeah," Naruto said waving goodbye, "I'll...just do that..." _'That was definitely not the Hinata I knew...'_

"Hey, Naruto!" another voice shouted. Turning to his head again, he saw both Sakura and Nagisa walking towards him. "Hey, you two," he said, "What's up?" "Nagisa and I are both going shopping before we go to Ichiraku. You wanna come with us?" "Yeah, Naruto!" Nagisa said excited, "It'll be better if you came with us!" Naruto looked at Nagisa and then remembered with Kakashi said about her.

_**"That is exactly why she smiles...She tries to hide the pain..."**_

Naruto smiled at her and said, "Sure, why not?" "Awesome!" Nagisa said grabbing his arm, "Let's go!" Sakura smiled at her afterwards.

_**An Hour Later...**_

At the clothing store, Naruto waited outside the dressing rooms as Sakura and Nagisa started to try on new clothes.

"Are you two done yet?" Naruto said being weirded out in the girl's section, "The clerk, watching me, thinks I'm stealing stuff." "Just a minute," Nagisa said, "I've almost got it...There!" She came out of the room wearing a beautiful white dress with red lines. "How do I look?" she asked. Naruto smiled as he look at her. "Don't you look very cute!" he said, "If any of the boys saw you looking like that, you get a boyfriend in no time. Speaking of which, what's taking Sakura so long?" "She's still trying on the dress, I picked out for her," Nagisa replied, "She kind of embarrassed to try it on..."

"H-Here I go!" Sakura said coming out of the dressing room. She was wearing a red dress with black. She also wore high heels and her hair was made into a ponytail. Her beauty lit all over the room as Naruto blushed at her. He walked slowly towards her in awe. "Well?" Sakura said not looking at him, being embarrassed, "How do you like it?" Naruto didn't say a word. "What?" she asked being nervous, "Is something wrong?"

"It's just that..." Naruto began, trying to put the words together, "...I've never seen you look so beautiful..." Sakura was in awe at his response. "Hey, now!" Nagisa said nudging Naruto in the arm, "Don't get too in the store you two..." Both Naruto and Sakura snapped back to life; Sakura, immediately, kicked him in the gut after being embarrassed. "What...was...that...for?!" Naruto said on the floor.

Several minutes later, the three of them left the clothing store with Sakura and Nagisa carrying bags. "Since we're done shopping," Sakura began, "How about we all head to Ichiraku Ramen?" "Sure," Naruto said, "I'm getting kind of hungry, myself..." "Uh, before we do..." Nagisa interrupted, "...Do you think we can go somewhere first?" "Where do you want to go, Nagisa?" "It's a place just outside the village..." Naruto and Sakura looked at each other with confusion.

In some grassy plains area, Nagisa ran through a field of flowers as butterflies fluttered around her. Naruto and Sakura were close behind her looking around.

"This _place_," Nagisa began, "...is where my mother took before she died." "Why to a place like this?" Sakura asked, "It's so full of flowers..." "Well, my daddy said that this was the place my mother always use to go to clear her thoughts. I don't remember much on what my mother looked like, but my daddy also told me that she took me up here one time, in my baby carriage." Nagisa, then, closed her eyes as the wind blew around her; thousands of flower pedals flew into the sky.

"It was here that my mother used to sing my _lullaby_," Nagisa said as a song went through her head. She started to sing as the flower pedals continued to circle around her:

_**Each day when the sun**_ _**rises, I hurry from my sleep,**_

_**I can't wait to greet you with my song.**_

_**You are every kind of flower, every animal I meet,**_

_**You are nature full of grace and majesty.**_

_**From your skies the snow gently falls to the earth,**_

_**From your trees the birds nest and play.**_

_**From your oceans the fish school and travel the world,**_

_**Oh, nature, please don't ever go away.**_

_**Each day when the sun rises, I hurry from my sleep,**_

_**I can't wait to greet you with my song.**_

_**You are every kind of flower, every animal I meet,**_

_**Nature you are grace and majesty.**_

"She has a beautiful singing voice..." Naruto said in awe. "Yeah, she does," Sakura said, "Her mother must of been beautiful, too..." Without each other knowing, Naruto already had his arm around Sakura's waist. Sakura was resting herself on Naruto. She, quietly, snapped out of it and noticed his hand. _'Naruto...has his hand on my waist...'_ she thought. She looked up at him as he continued to watch Nagisa sing. Sakura slightly blushed, then looked at Nagisa.

_'I guess...this is okay, for now...'_ she thought smiling.

_**Naruto and Sakura are, unknowingly, starting to get closer to one another. As they watched Nagisa enjoy herself in the grassy meadow, they both realize that she, too, is special in many ways...**_

_**A/N: The next chapter won't come out until after Christmas, so please review! Until then, Merry Christmas!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers: Wild Force or the Song of Animaria**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Previously**__**: **__Naruto and Sakura both learned that Nagisa Inugami has a rare type of Kekkei Genkai: A Chakra Manipulation skill that allows her to control and amplify chakra in short, intense bursts. After learning about Nagisa's hardships, Naruto runs into Hinata Hyuuga, who happens to the Genin's Godmother. _

_ After spending time with Nagisa, unbeknownst to each other, Naruto and Sakura are begining to get closer to one another..._

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Five**_

_**Ichiraku Ramen**_

"Ah!" Naruto said, just finishing his bowl of ramen, "I actually feel a whole lot better now!" "After one bowl of ramen?" Sakura said jokingly, "You must be getting old! Usually, you have at least several bowls before your gut decides to burst!" "Well, what do you expect..." Both Naruto and Sakura looked at Nagisa, who just finished her tenth bowl of ramen. "...When Nagisa eats more than me?" "Excuse me!" Nagisa shouted, "Another bowl of ramen, please!" "The girl's got a tapeworm!" Naruto said, being embarrassed. "Well," Sakura began, "you did say that you would pay for lunch..."

Naruto continued to look at Nagisa and remembered about what Kakashi said to him; that her friends are too scared to be near her due to her power.

_'That's it!'_ Naruto thought. "Nagisa, how about you do some training?" "Training?" Nagisa asked. "Yeah! It's exactly what you need!" "Naruto?" Sakura asked, "What are you doing?" "Nagisa, by the time I'm done with you...not only will you be just as strong as I am, but every single rookie, in the entire village, will knocking down your door begging you to train them!" Nagisa's eyes bloomed with hope after hearing that. "But," she said, "where are we going for training?" Naruto smirked with confidence as he said, "Don't worry, you'll know soon enough."

Back at Nagisa's house, her father, Garudo Inugami, was sitting at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. "Hey, Daddy!" Nagisa said, entering the front door, "I'm back!" "You're back early from your date with Sakura," Garudo said, hiding his face in the newspaper, "Did something happen?" "Can't talk now, Dad! I've got to pack for my training!" One of Garudo's eyes peeked out from the newspaper as he said, "You're doing some training? Who is going to teach you?"

"Naruto is going to be training me!" Nagisa said, "He has it all set up for me!" "_Naruto_?" Garudo said, "He's the one who's going to train you? What type of training is it...?" "Well, actually..."

_**Naruto and Sakura's Apartment**_

"You're taking her to _Mount Myoboku_?" Sakura asked, "Are you sure about this?" "I never been more sure about this," Naruto replied, packing his stuff, "Nagisa needs a new outlet for her level of chakra, and getting some training in at Mount Myoboku should help. Besides, her becoming a _sage_ should be good enough."

Sakura, placing her hand on her head, tried to wrap her mind on Nagisa's Sage training. "This doesn't make any sense, Naruto," she said, "You're taking her to a place where you had to learn to be a sage for at least a week in advance. Especially, when you had to fight **Pain**, remember?" "Sakura..." Naruto replied, "...Do you remember when you first saw me use Kurama's power? Out of anger...?" Just then, Sakura thought back to when she saw Naruto's jinchuuriki ability be exposed out of anger and hatred. She also remembered the time he attacked her and scratched her arm, despite it being an accident. Thinking upon that, she grabbed her left arm.

Sakura didn't want to say anything; making Naruto feel guilty is the last thing she wanted. "Just imagine what would happen if she ever stopped smiling..." Naruto then replied, "Considering her level of chakra in unprecedent..." "I don't want to think about that..." Sakura answered. After packing, Naruto strapped on his backpack and walked past her. "How long..." Sakura began, "...are you going to be gone for?" "That's up to her," he answered, "Hopefully, we'll be back in three days."

Naruto placed his hand on the doorknob until Sakura stopped him. "Naruto..." she said. Turning around, Naruto saw her kissing him on his cheek. "Sakura?" he said surprised. "Just...make sure that you and Nagisa come back in one piece..." she answered, blushing in embarrassment. Naruto touched his cheek in confusion.

Meeting at the village gate, about an hour later, Nagisa waited as Naruto walked up along with Sakura. "I'm all ready here!" Nagisa exclaimed. "I'm ready, myself!" Naruto replied.

_"Well, it's about time you two!"_ a voice said as an orange frog came from behind to bushes. **"Gamakichi!"** Naruto replied, "How's it been?" "It has been a long time, hasn't it, Naruto?" Gamakichi replied, "How long has it been? When we took on Pain?" "Probably longer than that...So, has Fukasaku prepared for us yet?" "The old man is ready and willing! So, if you're ready to go, let's get a move on!"

As Naruto and Nagisa waited for Gamakichi to perform the Reverse Summoning, Sakura waved goodbye to them. "Just make sure that you two can get along without me running interference!" she replied. "Don't worry about us, Sakura!" Nagisa shouted as she waved, "And, once we get back, I'll be just as strong as you two!" "We'll be back before you know it, Sakura!" Naruto replied, "Believe it!" Sakura nodded in silence as Naruto remember that she kissed him on the cheek. _'I wonder why she did that?'_ he thought pressing his hand to his cheek.

"All right, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Gamakichi said, "Watch your hands and elbows as we prepare to teleport. _**Reverse Summoning Jutsu! (Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu!)**_" With that, Naruto, Nagisa, along with Gamakichi disappeared.

"There he goes!" Sakura said to herself, "I just hope that he can get along with her..." _"Hey!"_ a voice said, _"Wasn't that Naruto I just saw leaving with Nagisa?" _Sakura, recognizing the voice, slowly turned around, and in shock, saw who was behind her. "Hey, Sakura!" the person said, "Long time, no see!"

_"Sasuke..."_ Sakura breathed.

_**Mount Myoboku**_

A few minutes after arriving, Nagisa looked around in excitement. "Amazing!" she shouted, "This is actually where you trained?" "Yup," Naruto said, "Just don't go no farther than the fountain..." "Ah, Naruto-boy!" a small, yet old frog appeared in front of him, "It has been a long time!" _**"Fukasaku!"**_ "I see that this is the new prodigy of the Leaf Village," Fukasaku said, "So, shall we begin the training?" "We're starting my training now?" Nagisa asked as Naruto and Fukasaku nodded in agreement.

After placing their stuff down, Naruto, Fukasaku, and Nagisa entered into a large field, with plenty of open space. "So, what's up?" Nagisa asked, "We're not starting my Sage Training?" "Not yet!" Naruto said, "First, if you want to be a Toad Sage, you'll have to go proper procedure. Fukasaku, do you have the _scroll_ that **Pervy Sage** left behind?" "I've got it right here," Fukasaku replied clapping his hands together, making the Toad Summoning Scroll appear. Rolling it open, Fukasaku continued to speak. "Nagisa-girl, please place your signature and a blood sample on this scroll," he replied, "Once you do that, you'll have the ability to summon toads, like myself, in battle, if you need to."

Understanding everything, Nagisa signed her name, as well as placed her blood on the scroll. "There we go," Fukasaku said, closing the summoning scroll, "Nagisa-girl, you're all set!" "All right!" Nagisa said, pumping her fist. "Hold on there, Nagisa!" Naruto spoke up, "The Summoning Jutsu isn't as easy as it looks! When I was your age, it took me several tries until I completely mastered it..." Nagisa's smile disappeared as she stood in front of Naruto, who was getting ready to demonstrate.

"First, I'll show you how to do it," Naruto said, biting his left thumb, and making a line of blood on his right palm. Then, he peformed five hand-signs and placed his whole, right hand on the ground. _**"Summoning Jutsu! (Kuchiyose no Jutsu!)"**_ A puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere and out came a yellow frog. "You summoned a frog!" Nagisa said, "He's so cute..." "This is Gamakichi's brother, **Gamatatsu**. I held back on my summoning, so I could show how to perform it. But, when you do peform your summoning, you will summon a _bigger_ frog than Gamatatsu." "A bigger frog than Gamatatsu..." Nagisa repeated. "Nagisa!" Naruto then exclaimed, "Once you summon _**Gamabunta**_, _Part One_ of your training will be complete."

"Gama...bunta?" Nagisa said being confused. Then, she got the gist of the situation. "Okay, here it goes!" Repeating the same thing Naruto did, she did the five hand-signs and slammed her right hand on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" she shouted. However, the results were not on point. "Eh?" she breathed, "It's just a tadpole!" Naruto laughed at the response. "Don't worry about it!" he replied, "I started it out that way, myself! You'll get use to it, everytime you try." Nagisa smiled as she nodded.

Back at the village, Sakura was sitting on a bench with Sasuke; many thoughts rushed through her head as she looked at the person she had a crush on since childhood. _What was Sasuke doing in the village even though he was no longer welcomed back?_

"So," Sasuke spoke up, "What did you want to talk to me about?" "Well, um..." Sakura began, "I-It's just been a long time since I saw you..." "Well...It can't be helped..." Sasuke said, rubbing on his shoulder, "Being on a reconnaisance mission for three weeks can take a toll on you, especially when you're teaming with the ANBU Black Ops." "You were on a mission this whole time?" "Yeah, I've got to go back in less than an hour, too." "I'm just surprised that you're welcomed back at the village, you know, after everything that's happened..."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked with a questionable look on his face, "I've always been welcomed here." "Then," Sakura began, "What about that situation with **Itachi**?" "Oh, yeah..." He leaned back into the chair as he explained. "My mom and dad told me all about it; Itachi was undercover in the _Akatsuki_ for over five years. Whenever they didn't go out looking for _tailed beasts (bijuu)_, he would return to the village and talk to the higher-ups. One day, he made the mistake of getting caught passing information, and he was killed trying to escape..." _'He already knew?'_ Sakura thought. "I was so angry after losing my brother; if it hadn't of been Naruto and Garudo, I would've been caught in a suicide mission..."

"Let's just be glad that you didn't take the path not taken," Sakura replied smiling. "Yeah, me too," Sasuke replied standing, "My two best friends really saved me from making one giant mistake...Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll see you later, Sakura..." After that, he left as Sakura waved goodbye. _'I guess that everything is okay...'_ she thought. _'But...something didn't feel right about that conversation... And, who is THIS Garudo...?_ '

Ten minutes later, Sakura made it back to the apartment. Being tired from today's events, she sat down on Naruto's bed. After stretching, her hand hit something underneath Naruto's pillow. Pulling it out, it was a book of some sorts. "A diary?" she breathed. She looked to see if anybody was looking and opened it to the first page... "This is yesterday's date..." she then said as she continued reading.

_**Four Hours Later...**_

It was nearly sunset as Nagisa summoned a small frog. Seconds later, she fell on her back, exhausted. "This is not as easy as it looks..." she barely spoke out. "That's the twentieth time in the last four hours alone," Fukasaku replied, "Not to mention, you've been putting out a lot of chakra for this jutsu to work. Naruto did tell me that you have unique type of Kekkei Genkai..."

"Maybe it's because she's not serious enough," Naruto said walking up, "Nagisa, the ninja life you have has been about blue skies and rainbows. But, one day, your smile will go away and you'll have to get serious. Think about what you would do if I were to die... If Sakura were to die..." Nagisa heard every word Naruto said and stood up. "You're pretty exhausted..." Naruto said, "And, it's nearly dark. Why don't we try again tomorrow?" "Let me try one more time," Nagisa pleaded, "I have enough chakra for one more go..."

Without saying a word, Naruto nodded. Nagisa took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. _'The change in demeanor in her eyes...'_ Naruto thought. _'She just got serious...'_ Nagisa looked down at her thumb, which it already had blood on it. He wiped a small line on her right palm. Slowly, she performed the five hand-signs. **"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram!"** she said in a calm, but serious, voice. She slammed her right hand down, but gave her arm more leverage by placing her left hand on her shoulder as she put the last of her chakra into the technique. _**"SUMMONING JUTSU!"**_

A massive puff a smoke appeared as Naruto, Nagisa, and Fukasaku standing on something...A gigantic toad appeared with a pipe in his mouth; Nagisa had finally summoned Gamabunta!

"Congratulations, Nagisa-girl!" Fukasaku said, "You finally did it!" "Yeah...!" Nagisa said standing up, with her body shaking, "I did...didn't I?!" She, immediately, fell backwards on Gamabunta's head. "Is she alright?" Naruto asked. "Don't worry. She's only unconscious due to loss of chakra..." "Well, if it ain't Naruto!?" Gamabunta replied, "How are you doing, kid?" "I'm doing fine, Chief Toad! But, it wasn't me who summoned you! It was the girl on top of your head as well!" _'Now, Nagisa!'_ Naruto thought. _'It's time for you to become a Sage!'_

Back at the apartment, Sakura dropped the dairy on the floor as she had a scared look on her face. "Is this what Naruto was trying to tell me...?" she said.

_**"Why would you do something like that...?"**_

_**Nagisa finally learns Summoning to its fullest potential! Now, she is finally ready to become a Sage...Is she ready for the task? And, what did Sakura read that has made her so scared?**_

_**A/N: Happy New Year! In the next chapter, the seriousness will begin!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Previously**__**: After hearing about her Kekkei Genkai, Naruto takes Nagisa to Mount Myoboku for training. After over twenty times, she, exhaustedly, mastered the Summoning Jutsu to its fullest potential.**_

_** Meanwhile, Sakura, surprisingly, catches Sasuke Uchiha back in the Village Hidden in the Leaves and gets a sense that something is definitely wrong. After seeing inside of a diary, Sakura learns a secret about Naruto; a secret that he wanted to tell her before...  
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_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Six**_

_**Mount Myoboku**_

The sun shined brightly on the following day. Through the windows, the rays shined upon Nagisa's face as her eyes twitched open. "It's morning already?" she asked as she pulled herself out of bed. As she tried to stand, she steadied herslef due to being off balance. "I must be more tired than I thought," she said.

Putting on her ninja outfit, Nagisa walked outside and encountered Fukasaku, who was sitting down on the grass. "Ah, Nagisa-girl!" he replied, "How are you feeling since yesterday?" "I feel a little lightheaded," Nagisa answered. "That's because you used up all of your chakra summoning Gamabunta. You shouldn't worry about it though; Naruto-boy went through the same thing with Jiraya." "Speaking of Naruto, where is he?" "He's up there..."

Nagisa looked up, which she saw Naruto, in a meditative state, on top of a rock pillar. Covering the sun out of her eyes, Nagisa notices several birds land on his shoulders. "How long has he been up there?" she asked. "He started his meditation before the sun came up," Fukasaku answered, "About three hours, I believe..." "Three hours?!" "Well, looks like Naruto-boy is done..."

Naruto stood up from the rock pillar and jumped down and the stone, he was sitting on fell to the ground. "Good morning, Nagisa!" Naruto said walking up to her and Fukasaku. Nagisa noticed something different about Naruto; there were orange pigmentations around his eyes and the color of his irides changed. "Naruto?" she asked, "Is that you?" "It's me, _believe it_!" Naruto said chuckling, "I'm just in _**Sage Mode**_. And, this is what I look like." Nagisa looked at Naruto's face closely. "So, this is Sage Mode?" she replied. "That's right, Nagisa-girl!" Fukasaku said, "This will be the second and final part of your training. Come, let us go to the fountain..."

At the fountain, Fukasaku dipped his finger in some mysterious water and placed a drop of it on Nagisa's arm. "What did you put on me?" Nagisa asked. "_Toad oil_," the old frog replied, "This will speed up the process in helping you become a Sage." Keeping quiet, Nagisa's left side of her face nearly became toad-like. "What the...?" Before she could say anything else, Fukasaku hit her with a stick, returning her back to normal. "Ouch!" she shouted, "What was THAT for?!" Naruto laughed as he said, "The same thing happened to me, once before! Your body is beginning to adapt to the Toad Oil." "So, what do I do now?" Nagisa asked. "The only thing to do now..." Fukasaku began, "...is to gather _Natural Energy_..." "Natural Energy...?"

Returning back to the pillars, Fukasaku continued to explain. "Natural Energy is collected from the atomsphere around you," he said, "To do so, you need to be _very_ still. To be a Sage, is like being one with Nature..." "Nagisa," Naruto replied, "You're going to take a stone slab and sit upon the rock pillars up there. Once you've done that, you can't move an inch or it will from under you." Understanding mostly everything, Nagisa started the process.

Nearly three hours of several attempts, Nagisa was finally able to sit still. A young bird sat upon her shoulder, but she kept still. _'She's finally getting it!'_ Fukasaku replied. _'Nagisa-girl is started to gain the Natural Energy efficiently now...'_ Naruto, still in Sage Mode, started to sense the energy circulate inside Nagisa's body. Several seconds later, Nagisa opened her eyes as she fully achieved Sage Mode. _'She's got the same toad-like eyes...' _Naruto thought. _'But the __**pigmentation**_, _around the eyes, have a different color...'_ "Nagisa, are you okay?" he asked. Fukasaku stared at her and noticed that Naruto was right; the pigmentation coloring was _green_, instead of orange. "Well, despite the different coloring," he said, "She has definitely achieved Sage Mode. But, Nagisa-girl, your training is far from over..."

"It isn't?" Nagisa asked. "You've learned the spiritual side of Sage Mode, but now it's time for the physical side!" Naruto informed, "Nagisa, are you up for a few rounds?" Nagisa stared at Naruto with a confused look.

_**Another Three Hours Later...**_

Back at the village, the sky was getting cloudy. A few raindrops fell on the ground as people were getting inside their homes. Sakura, who had just left the apartment, had an indifferent, but sad look, on her face. Something was truly on her mind. _'I wonder how long __**he**__ had been keeping this from me?'_ she thought.

_**(Flashback)**_

Sakura had a serious look on her face as she read the diary that was kept under Naruto's pillow. She paid attention to the latest entry.

_"Although the war has ended, I still feel like I have failed on several things. Neji's dead, my father, the 4th Hokage, going back to be with my mother in Heaven, and with Sasuke exiled from the village..." _

Sakura skipped most of the entry and read the last paragraph.

_"I wanted to tell Sakura this, because I know she is one of the few who understands my dream. But, after everything that went down, I have made my decision: I'm going to tell Sakura..." _

Reading the last few words, Sakura dropped the diary on the floor as she had a scared look on her face. Immediately, she thought back then about when they were at the Training Grounds before they met Nagisa. "Is that what Naruto was trying to tell me...?" she said.

_**(End Flashback)**_

"Why would he do something like that?" Sakura asked as she was nearly brought to tears, _"To actually quit your dream of being Hokage?_ Naruto..."

Several raindrops came afterwards as Sakura looked up at the sky; it was truly dark. The rain was coming down hard. Continuing to look up, she saw four people, wearing dark clothing, running on the rooftops. "What the...?" she said, "Who are those guys?" They kept running towards the Hokage's Office. "Oh no! Kakashi-sensei...!"

Inside the Hokage Office, Yamato entered and informed Kakashi on something. "Kakashi!" he began, "I've just been informed at the gate that a group of ninjas, in dark clothing, have just invaded and are making their way here." "Did you get a description of who they were?" Kakashi asked. "No. And we haven't heard word of any delegates, either." "Have all ninja, who are not on missions, prepare themselves just in case more show up. And, have the ANBU Black Ops on standby for backup!"

Outside, the intruders are made their way to the roof of the Hokage building. _**"Hey!"**_ a voice said within the rain. The intruders looked forward to see Sakura standing before them as thunder boomed and lightning lit up the skies. "If you want to have an audience with the Hokage," she began, "You'll have to make an appointment like everyone else!" One of the intruders rushed her, but she jumped into the air to avoid. However, the other two grabbed on to her and tried to pull her down. In a hurry, a puff of smoke appeared and replaced her position with a log. Sakura made a safe landing back on the roof of the building. "Fine! You want to get serious...LET'S GET SERIOUS, CHA!"

Sakura got into fighting position as one of the intruders started to attack her. At a fast pace, she ducked and dodged every movement until she saw and opening and elbowed him in the face. She tripped the second one up, but the third one attacked from behind almost knocking her off the roof. She regained her balance afterwards. "These guys are fast," she replied, "These guys must be trained to use their speed and nothing else!" The intruders jumped in the air and began to spin like a circle. Sakura, moved to the center of the roof. "If you think that's impressive, just try this!" she shouted jumping inside the circle.

The intruders, still in a circle, began to attack Sakura from all sides, but she managed to block the assault as fast as she could. Once again, an opening was made as she jumped and avoided an attack in which two of them hit each other. Coming from behind, Sakura managed to hit the third one from behind. The three intruders fell back on the roof, seemingly knocked out. "Now, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, demanding an answer. But her 'seriousness turned into confusion. _'Wait. I saw four of them...Why am I fighting three?'_ The fourth intruder tried to sneak up on her, but Kakashi showed up out of nowhere with a ball of lightning in his hand.

_**"Lightning Blade! (Raikiri!)"**_ he shouted as he hit the roof of the Hokage building, but missing one of the four ninjas, "Sakura, are you okay?" "Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura replied, "Thank you, but what's going on?" "Intel reports say that there were several ninjas aiming to attack to the village. Looks like they were right on point..." "If this spirals out of control, the whole village will be in danger!" One of the dark-clothing ninjas started to escape, but unbeknownst to Sakura and Kakashi, the other two were beginning to attack.

Sakura tried to turn around in time, only to see one of the intruders in her face. A second later, a large puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere. As she and Kakashi covered their eyes, another person, who appeared from the smoke, started doing hand-signs. _**"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! (Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!)"**_ A barrage of mini fireballs attack the dark ninja, causing it to flee to its escaping comrade. _"Sakura! Lord Hokage Kakashi! Are you two okay?" _The smoke dissipated as the two of them saw the person who saved them. _"Nagisa!?"_ Sakura asked. "I hope I made it back in time!" Nagisa replied.

"Nagisa, look at you!" Sakura began, looking at her, "You're a Sage now!" "Nagisa!" Kakashi said, "How did you know what was happening in the village?" "Fukasaku left Gamakichi behind yesterday to make sure nothing happened," Nagisa answered, "Sorry, I was a little bit late though..." "Speaking of which, where is Naruto?" "He's here, it's just appeared in another part of the village; he'll be here shortly." Nagisa, then, stopped talking to sense the two intruders that got away. "The two that escaped," she began, "didn't leave the village yet. Kakashi-sensei, help all of the Jounin get everyone evacuated! I'll go after them!" "Agreed!" Kakashi replied, "Sakura, keep an eye on those two. Hopefully, we get some answer out of them soon." With Sakura in agreement, Kakashi went to go help the Jounin and Nagisa went to go chase down the other two intruders.

A few minutes after, Sakura walked over to the two that were still unconscious. One of them opened their eyes and placed her in a strangle hold. The other one woke up afterwards. _'They've got me!'_ she thought. _'I can't break free! Someone, help me! N-Naruto...'_

A finger tapped on the intruder's shoulder. He turned around and met with a fist in his face. As he was knocked senseless, Sakura shook free. _"Don't you know the lady doesn't like to be touched that way?"_ a voice said. Sakura looked up and saw Sage Naruto. "Naruto..." she breathed. The dark-clothed ninja stood in front of each other. "I think it's about time you learned how to respect a lady!" he said. He held out his right, prosthetic hand and created a spiraling sphere, but with blades. "Take this! _**Wind Style: Rasengan! (Futon: Rasengan!)**_" The impact plowed their way through both ninjas, in which they dissipated into smoke.

"Yo!" Naruto said, waving at Sakura, who had a smile of relief on her face. She stood up and, slowly, walked toward him. In an instant, she dropped her smile and said, "You're late!" The Sage's only reaction was to jump back. "I, basically, had to deal with four of those guys by myself! What were you and Nagisa doing, taking so long on Mount Myoboku anyway?!" Naruto didn't say anything. "What's wrong?! Afraid to say something to me?" "It's not that..." he said, starting to blush, "It's just... You're pretty cute, standing in the rain like that..."

Sakura looked down at herself and noticed that her clothes, as well as her hair, were soaked and wet due to the rain. She blushed in embarrassment and covered herself up. "You are such an idiot..." she said to him.

On the other side of the village, Nagisa finally caught up with the other two ninjas, who were trying to escape.

_**"Shadow Clone Jutsu! (Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!)" **_she shouted, sending her clone to stop them up ahead. They all stopped on a rooftop and Nagisa and her shadow cracked their knuckles. "For your sake," she began, "I hope you don't choose the hard way..."

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura said as she watched him looking off into the distance. "I can sense Nagisa's chakra!" Naruto replied, "She must be getting ready to fight! We have to hurry!"

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura said grabbing his hand. "Sakura, what is it? We need to help her!" "There is something I have to tell you first! After you left..." She paused for a second. "I met with _Sasuke_ in the village..." Naruto was in stunned silence afterwards as he thought...

_'Sasuke was in the village...?'_

_** As Sakura tells Naruto everything about Sasuke, Nagisa begins to fight against the intruders that invaded the Leaf Village. Who are these mysterious people and what do they want? However, unbeknownst to Naruto and Sakura, they are about to get their questions resolved, but they may not like the answer...**_

_**A/N: Get ready for the next chapter, it's going to be something outside the box for me!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Previously**__**: As Nagisa began her Sage Training, Sakura was still in disbelief that Naruto wants to quit being Hokage. Three hours later, Naruto and Nagisa returned to the village after Sakura took on four mysterious shinobi, who had invaded. **_

_** As Nagisa, in her Sage Mode, was ready to take the remaining two intruders, Sakura tells Naruto about the situation with Sasuke Uchiha...**_

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Seven **_

The rain continued to pour down hard as Sage Nagisa and her shadow clone stared at the two dark-clothed ninjas who invaded the village. She smirked as she said, "Your move..." The two ninjas jumped into the air and out of her way. "Wrong move!" Nagisa shouted as she and her shadow clone perform handsigns, _**"Fire Style: Flame Dragon Strike! (Katon: Enryuugeki!)" **_Two flame bullets shot in the sky and exploded, engulfing the ninjas.

As the explosion was shown in the dark, rainy sky, Sage Naruto and Sakura rushed over to give Nagisa some help. However, Naruto had a serious look on his face and Sakura knew it too.

_**(Flashback)**_

"You talked with Sasuke?!" Naruto asked. "Yes, I did," Sakura replied, "He said something about if it wasn't for you and this guy, by the name of _Garudo_, he would've never left the village to join Orochimaru." "_Garudo?!_"

Naruto had recognized the name _Garudo_ before. "It's not the first time I've heard that name," he replied, "The other day, I saw Hinata." Sakura was surprised as well. "She, too, heard of Garudo." "She did?" Sakura asked.

_'Something's off here...'_ Naruto thought. "Come on, let's go help Nagisa!"

_**(End Flashback)**_

_'Garudo Inugami...'_ Naruto thought. _'That's definitely Nagisa's father...He seems to be the key to all of this. I mean...Sasuke staying in the village, even after he learned about what Itachi did to his family? My mother is still alive?! This is definitely not the world Sakura and I live in... This could only mean on thing...a __**Genjutsu**__?'_

Sakura looked on at Naruto. _'Why am I upset that he saw Hinata the other day?'_ she thought. _'Sure, Naruto had always been jealous of Sasuke, everytime I was with him... Then again, despite them still being just friends, Hinata's feelings were always real...' _Sakura lowered her head...her mind was loaded with confusion right now.

The two ninjas freed themselves from the explosion as they immediately took out Nagisa's clone instantly. "Is that how you want to play?!" she shouted as she rushed in. All three of them jumped in the air again, using their fists. Nagisa quickly knocked one down as she was going toe-to-toe with the other.

_'Come on, Nagisa!'_ she thought to herself. _'Naruto taught you better than this!'_

_**(Flashback: Three Hours Ago)**_

_**Mount Myoboku**_

The Sage Training was turned up Naruto and Nagisa, battled each other in the sky. Going in for a big strike, Nagisa's fist hit Naruto's and causing a big shockwave up in the air. Fukasaku just smiled as he saw Nagisa hit the ground and was knocked out of Sage Mode. Naruto landed seconds afterwards.

"So," Fukasaku began, "how did it go this time?" "She lasted a lot longer than last time," Naruto replied, "She's almost at my level!" "But, it isn't fair!" Nagisa wined, "This has been the _tenth_ time! No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to win against you!" "I'm a lot older and wiser than you are!" Naruto replied, "I'm not exactly going to go easy on you, especially when it comes to training!" "Nagisa-girl," Fukasaku replied, "_**Frog Kumite**_ is different from any _Taijutsu_ you have experienced. Now that you're a Sage, your body is opened up to a whole new level. Once you master the Frog Kumite, and your _Sensory capabilities_, no one in the village can stop you."

Nagisa, understanding all of that, sat back up and said, "Okay, Naruto! I'm ready to go again!"

_**(End Flashback)**_

"Thanks, Naruto!" Nagisa said, continuing to fight, "I finally get it!" Breaking away Sdownwards, missing the ninjas completely. However, the shockwaves pushed them back as the building that they were standing on was nearly split in half. In a rush, all three of them headed over to a new rooftop.

Nagisa laughed in embarrassment. "Guess I need more training," she said smiling. _"Nagisa!"_ a voice said. Nagisa looked over to see Naruto and Sakura come to her aid. "Naruto! Sakura!" "Looks like you're getting too enthusiastic with you job!" Sakura said. "Nagisa, are you ready!?" Naruto asked smirking. One of the two ninjas escaped once more. "Oh no, you don't!" Sakura said punching the rooftop, creating a crevice so the other couldn't move. Clapsing their hands together, Naruto and Nagisa rushed in. _**"Sage Art: Giant Rasengan! (Senpou: Oodama Rasengan!)"**_ Molding their chakra together, they formed the spiraling sphere, piercing through the ninja, which turned into smoke on impact. "Where did the other one go?!" Sakura said looking around.

As the last ninja made his way to the gate, someone wearing a hood over his face appearing in front of him as lightning lit up the skies. _"I'm sorry,"_ a voice said, _"Was I interrupting your escape!?"_

"Is everybody okay?" Kakashi asked after immediately showing up to help. "Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied, "Yeah, everybody is fine. Huh?" She stopped to see Nagisa staring out into a dark area of the village. "Nagisa, what's wrong?" "Chakra just disappeared," Nagisa answered. "Chakra disappeared?" Kakashi asked. "She's right," Naruto replied, "Another person with chakra is heading this way..."

In less than three seconds, the same person wearing a hood appeared on the same rooftop in front of them. Everyone kept quiet. _"It's been a long time hasn't it, Kakashi?"_ the voice said as the person removed the hood from his head; the appearance of the face was a black-haired person with blue eyes, a leaf insignia headband over his right eye. Nagisa reverted out of Sage Mode and smiled big. "Daddy!" she shouted running over towards. _'Daddy?'_ Naruto thought. _'Then, that means...!'_ Sakura thought.

Kakashi walked over to Nagisa's father and said, "I didn't think you would show up, considering that you've retired. But, it's good to see you again, _**Garudo**_..." The name, itself, caused Naruto to revert out of Sage Mode. _'Garudo?'_ Sakura thought. _'As in Garudo Inugami!? That's Nagisa's father? But, it can't be! He looks like...'_ She turned her head to look at Naruto, who thought, _'He looks just like me...'_

"What brings you by, Garudo?" Kakashi asked. "I was going to check up on Nagisa when it was about to rain," Garudo said petting his daughter on the head, "I just never really counted on invaders in the village." Then he looked behind Kakashi to see both Naruto and Sakura. "Naruto! Sakura! It has been awhile..." Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and played along for the time being. "Y-Yeah," Naruto replied, "It has been." "I see you've been looking like yourself!" Sakura replied, then diverted her eyes. _'Oh boy, what a cheesy answer...!'_

"Well," Kakashi began, "I guess we're all happy about the whole reunion thing..." "Kakashi," Garudo then replied, "Those dark-clothed ninjas...I think I know who they were..." "You do?" "Yes, but it's best that no one, amongst this group, should ascertain the situation..." "I'm inclined to agree myself. Therefore...Naruto, Sakura, and Nagisa! We talk back in my office once all of the Jounin assess the damage, as well as casulties." "Then, we'll help out, too!" Nagisa replied as Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement. As Kakashi, Garudo, and Nagisa left to go help, Naruto and Sakura looked at each other once again, this time in confusion.

About two hours of assessments, there was some good news: No casulties, and the damage was minimal. However, the rain continued to pour as the thunder and lightning stopped. Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, Nagisa, and Garudo all met up at the Hokage's Office to talk about the situation.

"Garudo," Kakashi spoke, "what was it about those ninjas?" "If I'm right about this," Garudo began, "Those ninjas were _remnants of Orochimaru's army_." "Remnants of Orochimaru?" Sakura asked. "But, that can't be..." Naruto said, "We overheard, by some bandits, that Orochimaru was killed!" "Yes," Kakashi then said, "This is true because, _Garudo_ here, was the _one_ who killed Orochimaru." "It was you?!" Sakura asked. Garudo nodded in agreement.

"So," Naruto began, "What were they doing here?" "My guess is..." Kakashi replied, "...they were here to kill the _hero of the Fourth Shinobi War_. You, Naruto..." "Why me?" "You're the hero who stopped the war," Garudo said, "Not to mention, you're next in line to be Hokage. There's no other reason to find and kill you..." Sakura, silently, lowered her head. _'Next in line for Hokage...'_ she thought. "I think," Garudo continued, "they wanted to kill Naruto, then have Orochimaru reborn again to take over the Ninja World."

"Revive Orochimaru?" Sakura asked, "From the dead?" "Daddy, can something like that happen?" Nagisa asked. "No, Nagisa," Kakashi replied, "Besides _**Edo Tensei**_, no jutsu in the world can bring the dead back to life. There's only one way for somebody to be revived. However..." _**"The Scroll of Time..."**_ Garudo replied. "What? You mean..." "Hold on!" Naruto said, "What is this _"Scroll of Time"_?"

"According to the stories, I heard when I was a kid," Kakashi began, "There existed a scroll that can allow ninjas to travel back in time to and from a certain point. It was also called the _**Scroll of Temporal Dimensions**_. Unfortunately, even the 1st Hokage, and many after him, including the Kage from other nations couldn't find it. Some say that it's just a myth..." "If it's just a myth, why take the chance?" Naruto asked. "Because many people died in the war," Garudo replied, "But, it wasn't the war that was shocking...it was after it..."

"After it?" Sakura asked. "Other outkasts wanted to restart the war in their own way," Kakashi said, "One day, an_ S-rank _mission of the highest calibur was issued. Even though, it was partially successful, the lost of lives _that day _was unbearable..." "Three days, going into the mission..." Garudo stopped and took a deep breath. "My wife...Nagisa's mother..." he then said, "...was killed..." Sakura's eyes lit up in shock as she turned to look at Nagisa, who had her head down. "Nagisa..." Naruto said in silence. "That wasn't all," Kakashi said, "The Leaf Village was in dreadful mourning..." "Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, fearing to ask the question, "Who else died on that day...?"

Garudo and Kakashi closed their eyes in shame. "Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked again. _**"Might Guy, Ino, Chouji, Rock Lee, Ten Ten, Shino, Kiba, and many others..."**_ The answer put Sakura into shock; Naruto's reaction became erratic. "That is a lie!" he shouted, grabbing Garudo by the collar, "There's no way that nearly all of my friends could have died on that mission! It's got to be some type of genjutsu trick! Please, tell me that it is!" "A Genjutsu? Naruto, you have it all wrong!" Garudo replied, "I was there after they told me, my wife was killed. The body count was horrendous. Whatever world you had been living in, I can assure you, it wasn't an illusion. Besides, Sasuke, Hinata, and Shikamaru, who were also on that mission..."

Naruto let go of Garudo as his mind started to process all of this. Nothing he experienced, or what he saw, made sense anymore. An S-rank mission that nearly got all of his friends killed? Sasuke was back in the village? He, Hinata, and Shikamaru were few of the survivors? Naruto's mother was still alive? Was all of this an illusion or not? More questions popped in; he didn't have an answer. Due to the shock, Sakura fell to her knees. "Naruto," Kakashi replied, "I know this must be hard for you and Sakura. I'll let you two rest for tonight, because tomorrow, you two are going to find the Scroll of Time and retrieve before anyone can use it."

"Kakashi, i think it's best that I go with them," Garudo replied, "I may have an idea of where it might be..." "Then," Kakashi began, "You three are to meet at the village gate, first thing in the morning."

Another hour passed as Garudo and Nagisa made it back to their home, outside the village.

Walking inside, Nagisa started to ask her father a question. "Daddy," she began, "Are you sure that Naruto and Sakura are going to be okay? I mean, they did take it pretty hard when they found out that friends were killed..." "They'll have to look to each other for that answer," Garudo replied as he kneeled to talk to her, "No one is more upset with what happened that day more than me. Once we get the Scroll of Time, _everything will be exactly the way it should be_."

"Let me come with you, Daddy!" Nagisa pleaded, "I owe it to Naruto and Sakura!" Garudo smiled and nodded. "Pack your stuff and get ready. Remember, we're meeting them at the gate tomorrow."

_**Naruto and Sakura's Apartment**_

Naruto looked out the window in frustration at the heavy rain that was pouring outside. He took off his jacket and headband so they could dry. Sakura, who was still depressed over what she heard, had taken off her wet clothes and got into her robe, sitting on her bed.

"This can't be real!" he said to himself, "Everyone is gone...?" Then he banged his fist onto the wall.

"What if it is real?" Sakura said. Naruto turned around and saw her shaking in her robe. He walked over and sat down beside her. "Sakura?" he asked, "Are you okay?" He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from shaking. He flinched afterwards. _'She was this cold?'_ he thought.

Instinctively, Sakura placed her arms around Naruto's waist. "If this is real..." she said just above a whisper, "...then we'll never see most of our friends again, are we?" A tear fell down her cheek seconds later. Naruto couldn't say anything; for the first time, he couldn't give a single answer to the whole situation. "I'm truly afraid..." Sakura then said. "Afraid?" Naruto said. "If most of our friends are dead, then I'm afraid of losing the ones we have!"

Naruto was taken aback; he had never seen Sakura so scared before. "What about Sasuke?" he then said, "Shouldn't we tell him this, too?" "I'M TELLING YOU THIS, YOU IDIOT!" Sakura shouted. She lifted her head for him to see her tear-streaked face. "Please, Naruto! You're the only one who has seemed to make me smile! Please, tell me that everything will be okay!"

After everything that's happened to them, Naruto just couldn't lie to her. But, he continued to stare into her eyes. Sakura reached towards him; seconds later, they engaged each other in a kiss. Naruto's hands began to undo Sakura's robe. At the same time, Sakura began to take off Naruto's shirt as they both fell on the bed.

As they regain their senses, Naruto continued to stare into Sakura's eyes as he found himself on top of her. "Sakura..." Naruto whispered, after noticing that her robe was open. "It's okay," Sakura said, "Tonight, I just want to be with you...We'll worry about tomorrow. For now, come to me..."

The light in the apartment was shut off afterwards as the rain continued to pour...

_**As Naruto and Sakura begin consummate their relationship, the troubles they seem to have are disappearing. For tomorrow, the two of them and Garudo must now search for the Scroll of Time, after Orochimaru's minions attacked the village. **_

_** However, what did Garudo Inugami mean that "everything will be back to the way it was?"**_

_**A/N: The last part was definitely outside the box for me! I've never done that before! In the next chapter, Naruto will finally get answers from the source, itself!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Previously**__**: Garudo Inugami, Nagisa's father, finally shows himself in front of Naruto and Sakura, who were shocked to find out that he looked exactly like Naruto. After hearing the whole story about an S-rank mission, they both learn that Garudo's wife, including several of their friends, were killed.**_

_** Naruto and Sakura, hoping that this was Genjutsu, were completely at a loss for words as they looked to each other, making love on the very same night. Now, in search for the Scroll of Time, the three of them set off on their mission...**_

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Eight**_

The next day came as the sun shined brightly in the window of the apartment. Naruto's eyes twitched open as he looked at the ceiling. He then looked down as saw Sakura laying on his chest. He smiled at her, then quietly, got up.

About an hour later, Sakura woke up and noticed Naruto all dressed; he was wearing a new, black jacket as he was putting on his headband. He saw that she was awake, walked towards her, and kneeled down to talk to her. "Are you okay, since last night?" he asked her. "Yeah," she said covering herself with the blankets. She, then, looked down and blushed. He smiled and said, "Come on, we're supposed to meet Garudo at the gate."

As she got up, Sakura noticed something and placed her hand on her stomach. She smiled afterwards.

A half-hour passed as Garudo waited at the gate. Naruto and Sakura walked up.

"Sorry, did we keep you long?" Naruto asked. "Actually," Garudo began, "I showed up myself, just a few minutes ago. Speaking of which, I brought a little friend with us..." A little girl, whose hair was tied in a ponytail, appeared from behind Garudo. "Is that_ Nagisa_?" Naruto asked. "She looks so different," Sakura replied. Indeed, Nagisa was different: She was wearing new clothes. a sleeveless black top, black arm warmers, white pants, and grey boots. She had a set of ninja tools and her sword on the back of her belt.

"I owe it to you two for spending time with me!" Nagisa replied, "Besides, I want to be ready for when there are more Orochimaru's minions about!" "That's the spirit, Nagisa!" Naruto shouted, _"Believe it!"_ "So," Sakura began, "Where do we start looking for this _Scroll of Time_? The last time Naruto and I went to one of Orochimaru's hideouts, it turned into a pile of rubble..."

_**"The Land of Rice Fields,"**_ Garudo answered, "I'm certain that the Scroll is there." "The Land of Rice?" Sakura exclaimed, "You think it's there?!" "You've got to be kidding me!" Naruto replied, "That area is so close! It's not even a day's journey from here!" "True," Garudo responded, "But, I have my hunches on this one! If we hurry towards there, we can make it before noon!" With all in agreement, they headed out towards the Land of Rice Fields.

At the Hokage's office, Kakashi was greeted by a knock at his door. "Come in," he said. Opening the door, Yamato entered.

"Kakashi!" he said, "I just heard that you sent Naruto, Sakura, and Garudo on a mission. Where did you send them?" "They are on a mission to search for the Scroll of Time," Kakashi answered, "They should be leaving right now." "Do you actually think that this _Scroll of Time_ actually exists?" "Having hearing when I was growing up, I wouldn't be surprised if it did..."

Kakashi then looked out the window, then took a deep breath.

Nagisa was running as fast as she could as Naruto, Garudo, and Sakura were close behind. "Nagisa!" Garudo shouted, "Don't get too ahead of us!" "Okay!" Nagisa replied. "Wow!" Sakura said looking at Nagisa, "She's so fast! All that weighted clothing she's been wearing must of had a positive effect on her. Did her mother wanted her to become ninja like that?" "No..." Garudo replied, "...Just not a victim. My wife died a few months after Nagisa was born. The truth is...she doesn't even know who her mother was..."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other in question.

About a half-hour later, the whole group made it to the Land of Rice Fields. At a fast pace, they made it through some rough trees in the forest. Several minutes later, all four of them stopped in a small area. "Why are we stopping here?" Naruto asked. "The base, Orochimaru use to manage from, is a few feet ahead of us. So, we need to be as quiet and discreet as we can!"

Walking through some more branches and woods, the four of them came across a large building, in a spacey area. They started to hide behind a large that is right in front of them. "Is that it?" Sakura whispered. "Yeah," Garudo replied. "Isn't that place a little too big?" Nagisa asked, "I've heard stories about Orochimaru, I mean." "You're right," Sakura replied, "Orochimaru wouldn't be in a place that stuck out like a sore thumb." While the conversation between the three was going on, Naruto got into his Sage Mode.

Nagisa, immediately, saw two dark-clothed ninjas appearing out of the entrance of the hideout. "I see somebody," she said, "In fact, I see two of them." "I wonder how many of them are there," Sakura replied, "We don't just want to go in a cause a panic." "Well," Naruto spoke up, "I can sense chakra, from at least, four...five...probably eight people. Maybe even more...I can't tell because of the layers inside." "Well," Garudo began, "I couldn't really myself how deep this goes. I've been in there once before; even I never been to the bottom..."

Sage Naruto continue to sense the chakra of the ninjas guarding the hideout. _'Huh? Wait a minute...'_ he thought. _'This chakra...'_ "Let's hurry!" Garudo replied, "If the Scroll of Time is really down there, then we don't have any time for finesse." "Then," Naruto spoke up, "you two go on ahead. Nagisa and I need to do something." "Okay, but don't dragged behind too much..."

With Garudo and Sakura moving on ahead, Nagisa and Naruto started to talk. "What is it, Naruto?" she asked. "I need you to leave a shadow clone behind," Naruto answered.

Several minutes later, the two of them up with Garudo and Sakura, who were looking down. "What's the matter?" Naruto asked. "These two..." Garudo answered. "So, did you knock them out?" "No," Sakura said, "They just fell out! The moment we approached them, they just collapsed." Nagisa kneeled down to check up on them. She felt something rough as she pulled the hood off of one of the ninjas. "It's wood!" she said, "This ninja is completely made of wood." "I don't think it was an illusion or substitution jutsu," Naruto said, "I didn't sense any change in chakra when they collapsed." "Looks like there's something here alright," Garudo said, "Come on, let's go inside!"

_**Inside Orochimaru's Old Hideout**_

Garudo lead Nagisa, Naruto, and Sakura were walking down a long hallway. Naruto, still in Sage Mode, said, "That's weird...I'm not sensing any of the ninjas, not to mention their chakra." "Must be because they're high-levels shinobi," Garudo replied, "Most I've heard are able to supress their chakra from suspicion."

Walking behind the boys, Sakura placed her hand on her stomach again. Nagisa noticed this at the corner of her eye. "Sakura?" she asked, "Is something wrong?" "Uh, no!" Sakura replied, "It's nothing!"

After going down several flights of stairs, the four of them came across a large room, but nothing in it. "Huh?" Sakura breathed. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Naruto asked. She quietly shushed the group. Looking around, the group formed a circle facing outwards. Naruto closed his eyes as he let his sensory abilities take over. "They're here!" he shouted, opening his eyes. In a rush, twelve dark-clothed ninjas appeared surrounding them. _'Huh? This chakra again...'_ "It looks like the ones at the entrance were nothing more than distractions!" Sakura shouted, "They must have known that we were coming!" "And it doesn't look like they are letting leave this room anytime soon!" Nagisa shouted as well.

Garudo, frustrated, started looking around for a way out. "There!" he shouted looking in the shadows, "Naruto! You and I need to make a run for it! Sakura, you stay here with Nagisa and see to it that we don't get seen!" "You got it!" Sakura said. "Nagisa, do it now!" Naruto shouted. "Right!" Nagisa said, forming a handsign, "RELEASE!"

A shadow clone of Nagisa, that was meditating in the woods, suddenly disappeared.

Nagisa's eyes immediately changed as she went into Sage Mode. "All right!" she said, "Now, I'm ready to fight! Thanks for the tip, Naruto!" "Let's go, Naruto!" Garudo shouted. "Right!" Naruto said, then looked at Sakura, who in turn did the same thing. They both nodded at each other as Naruto went to follow Garudo. Several of the dark-clothed ninjas tried to follow, but Nagisa got in front of them just in time. "You think that you can just ignore a couple of cute girls like that?" she shouted as Sakura appeared beside her. "Well then," Sakura said cracking her knuckles, "just for being so rude..._**forgiveness is NOT an option**_!" "Let's do it, Sakura!" Grabbing her by the legs, Sakura started to swing Nagisa around. "CHHHAAAA!" she shouted throwing her at the ninjas. Several slashing sounds were heard as Nagisa landed. Standing up, she hit the hilt of her sword; four of the ninjas was killed in a instant. "Who dies next?" she said smiling.

Continuing to run downstairs, Naruto and Garudo stopped to catch their breath. "We should be fine here," Garudo replied standing up straight. "Well, I hope that Sakura and Nagisa will be okay," Naruto said looking up. He was shocked at the surroundings. On both sides of the large room, there were cages opened and skeletons handcuffed on the doors. Everything looked burnt as well...

"What the hell is this place?!" Naruto shouted, "It's looks like a prison in here!" "That's because, it is!" Garudo said, "It's a holding cell where Orochimaru was keeping prisoners down here for his experiments; you already seen the results." Garudo kept on looking forward to see a large and long hallway, with something glowing at the end. "There!" he said, "The Scroll of Time is down that hallway!"

"Hold on for a minute!" Naruto said, stopping Garudo. "What is it?!" Garudo said getting frustrated, "We need to hurry before those ninjas get down here?" "The Scroll of Time isn't going anywhere, so there's plenty of time to talk!" Naruto begin to walk close to the person who looked just like him. "Are you that Orochimaru's followers want to use the Scroll to go back in time?" he asked. "Of course," Garudo answered, "Even at this day of peace, Orochimaru still has followers that bow to his every will." "Okay...Let me rephrase the question: Are the ninjas that invaded the village, the ones who attacked us a moment ago, really remnants of Orochimaru's army? Or..." Naruto paused for a few seconds.

_**"Are they really Shadow Clones created by YOU?!"**_

Garudo reacted at the response of Naruto's question. "What are you talking about?!" he said turning around to face Naruto, "Why are you suggesting that I had something to do with the village?" "Well, for starters," Naruto began, "I _fought_ Orochimaru and his minions before; they're NOT wearing the _headbands of the Sound Village_. If they were really Sound Ninjas, they would have been more _covert_ with getting in and out, without being noticed!"

Garudo smiled and said, "If that's all you have, even in Interrogation, it wouldn't hold up!" "I'm not finished with my explanation!" Naruto exclaimed, "My next guess...is their chakra!" "The chakra...?"

"Now, Nagisa may not be use to the _Sensory Capabilites_ of the Sage Mode, but I am! Did you think I wouldn't notice?! Your chakra imprint was all over those ninjas; plus, I don't think there was any flux due to having NO _**curse mark**_! So, if any other excuses, you might as well drop them!"

Not saying a word, Garudo turned to the side. Thirty seconds later, he slowly started to laugh maniacally.

_"You always did seem fit to point out the obvious, Naruto!"_ he said laughing. Then he turned to look at Naruto with a crazed look on his face. "That's right! I was the one who sent my shadow clones to attack the Leaf Village!" "You scumbag!" Naruto exclaimed, "After everything the village has done for you, you turn and betray them!?" "I don't know why you're surprised about all of this, Naruto! I've been like this for years now. Anger in my eyes, and hatred in my heart for all of those damned people who led my wife to her death!"

"You're insane!" Naruto said backing up a little. "Ah, come on Naruto!" Garudo said, "You should know me better than anyone! After all, we're best friends. But, more to the point..."

_"I AM YOU!"_

_'You're me?'_ Naruto thought. "You were always so slow on the uptake!" Garudo said, "I am Garudo Inugami, _**a complete replica of Naruto Uzumaki!**_" "You're a replica!?" Naruto said in shock. Garudo continued to laugh in silence...

_** He finally gets some answers! Garudo Inugami is a replica of Naruto, who staged an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village. As Naruto stares down in own replica, only one question came to his mind: How can two versions of himself exist in the same world...at the same time?**_

_**Naruto: Rewind Opening Song ~ Progress**_

_I was there, at that time, at that place._

_If that me who was fighting there,_

_If everything was for the sake of choosing this moment right now..._

_I wonder if the reason I want to forgive_

_That past where we deserted without facing ourselves _

_is because I want to be forgiven myself._

_The time when we were able to just be free is far away._

_We can't live in this time with just an innocent smile, but..._

_We move ahead._

_Even so, we continue to move ahead_

_Because we still have a heart left inside of us_

_that wants to believe in something._

_**A/N: In the next chapter, a deep insight to Garudo Inugami's psyche! Until then, please review!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the Tales of Xillia theme song, Progress.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Previously**__**: Begining their mission, Naruto and Sakura followed Nagisa and her father, Garudo Inugami, to one of Orochimaru's old hideouts. Going deeper inside, the ninjas were setting a trap for them. **_

_** As Naruto had a moment alone with Garudo, he finds out that he was the one who sent Shadow Clones to attack the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But, the most shocking thing that he has learn thus far: Garudo Inugami is a replica of Naruto Uzumaki...**_

_**Naruto: Rewind~ Chapter Nine**_

"Are you serious, right now?!" Naruto shouted.

"Well, you can thank _Orochimaru_," Garudo answered, "I mean, he did create me...That's why I killed him..." "The last time, I remembered, it was _Sasuke_ who was the victim of Orochimaru's abuse!" Naruto continued to shout, "And, even if he did manage to clone me, there was no way I would have let that bastard get near me!"

"It wasn't just you that was cloned, Naruto!" Garudo shouted. Then, he turned his back towards him, "It was my wife, _Autumn_..." "Your wife was a clone, too?" Naruto asked, calming down. Garudo didn't say anything. "Garudo, tell me what happened."

Although, he didn't want to explain, Garudo began explaining from the very begining. "It all must have happened before the _Chunin Exams _took place," he said, "Somehow, Orochimaru got wind of _Team Seven's _activities during the battle against _**Zabuza and Haku**_. On that bridge, blood was spilled; he took it upon himself to gather that blood..."

_**(Flashback)**_

___"When I opened my eyes, for the first time, I found myself inside a capsule of some sort..."_

A pair of blue eyes, coming from a male, opened, in a haste. Gasping for air, he bang of the capsule door until was able to knock it loose. After breaking free, it revealed that the blue-eyed male was blonde-haired; it was Naruto Uzumaki.

"What the...?!" Naruto said, looking around. He looked down to see that he didn't have any clothes on; he was naked. "What's going on?" he then said, "How did I get here? I should be in the village..." Naruto then looked to his right to find another capsule. He got out of the capsule he was in and checked out the other one. Confused and scared, Naruto was shocked to see who was inside of it...

_**"SAKURA...!"**_

_**(End Flashback)**_

"Your wife, Autumn, was Sakura...cloned?" Naruto said in shock. "Yes, she was..." Garudo answered, "After I pulled her out of the capsule, she regained consciousness, also questioning where she was. After finding a couple of cloths, we strained ourselves back the Leaf village..."

_**(Flashback)**_

Naruto carried Sakura as best as he could back the village.

"Naruto, we have to tell Kakashi-sensei about what happened," Sakura said. "Yeah," Naruto replied, "I just hope that he'll believe us..." All of a sudden, Naruto stopped and carried Sakura into the bushes. "Naruto, what are you doing?" "Sakura, look!" He pointed out of the bushes and Sakura saw the most unbelievable thing.

"It's us!" Sakura said as she saw herself, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi together, "Is this really happening?" "Sakura," Naruto said starting to think, "I think we were in those capsules for a reason..." "Why don't we tell Kakashi-sensei about this?" "If we go in there now, who know what will happen? We have to lay low for a while; no one must know about this!" Sakura nodded in agreement.

_"And so, nobody did..."_

_**(End Flashback)**_

"It was around the time the Chunin Exams began to start," Garudo continued, "So, Autumn and myself found a nearby village and stayed their for the time being. We didn't want to arouse suspicion, so I _dyed_ my hair _black_ and changed my name to Garudo Inugami. At the same time, my wife dyed her hair _brown_ and called herself, _**Autumn Tenoh**_."

"When did you return to the village?" Naruto asked. "After we got word that the _**Third Hokage**_ lost his life protecting the village," Garudo then answered, "We were...devastated. We came back a few days after the funeral and we asked to be full-fledged shinobi. It didn't long for Granny Tsunade to accept us, and before we knew it, we fitted right in with the group. No one suspected us; you, me, and Sasuke became the best of friends. Autumn fit well with the girls, as well. You and I actually convinced Sasuke not to leave the village."

_'Sakura was telling the truth the whole time!'_ Naruto thought. _'He was able to convince Sasuke to stay, in which I couldn't... His influence is stronger than mine. Wait, then that means...This world isn't an illusion or made from Genjutsu! This world...is __**Garudo's world**__!'_

Naruto couldn't believe the answer he came up with! He needed to know more...

"So, what happened after that?" "When you were gone with Jiraya for three years, we needed to fight back against Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. So, Autumn and I went under massive training with the Anbu Black Ops. Overtime, I began to fall in love with my wife, and she felt the same thing. After many missions, and many fights with our enemies, the Fourth Shinobi War came. During that time, I killed Orochimaru and you, Naruto, became the hero of the war. Everything was going great; after the war was over, Autumn and I decided to retire as ninjas and start a family. Years later, we lived outside the village and gave birth to our _daughter_, Nagisa."

Naruto looked down and smiled a little bit. "I guess, the story doesn't end here, huh?" he asked. "Several months after Nagisa was born," Garudo began, "_it was on that tragic day when my paradise was shattered..._"

_**(Flashback)**_

_**Inugami Household**_

Garudo, Autumn, and Shikamaru were having a discussion.

"This mission," Shikamaru began, "will the toughest one ever. Even though you retired, Kakashi recommended you, Autumn, for this mission." "Couldn't you give this mission to somebody else?" Garudo asked. "Because you are good with _Fire-Style Ninjutsu_, you would be a great help to us..."

"I'll do it," Autumn replied, "After all, I'm not going to let my friends down." "Autumn, think about what you're doing!" Garudo said going to her, "You just gave birth to Nagisa! Shouldn't we be thinking about her first?" "I am! And, I know for a fact she'll be well taken care of..." Unable to change her mind, Garudo placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just promise me, you'll be okay..." he said. Autumn kissed her husband afterwards.

_"Even though she promised me, I never saw alive again..."_

_**(End Flashback)**_

"What happened to her?" Naruto asked. "She died during the mission," Garudo answered, "Shikamaru told me, himself..." Naruto couldn't say anything about that.

"My whole world turned upside down, after that day...I was so filled with anger that I was about to explode. Then..." Garudo placed his hand on his headband, which covered his right eye. "In my anger, I found out that the _bonding agent_ Orochimaru used, would deteriorate due to extreme emotional stress. I could no longer see out of my right eye; the suffering over the loss of my wife was too much. If I was going to suffer, then the people who were on that mission, would suffer as well! So, I made up my mind..."

"You made up your mind?" Naruto asked thinking about what he said, "No! It can't be! Then, the people who were a part of that mission that day..." "I killed them!" Garudo answered.

Naruto was taken aback at the response. _'It can't be...'_ he thought. _'Bushy Brow, Bushier Brow, Ino, Chouji, Ten Ten, Shino, Kiba...'_ "Have you lost your mind?! Killing our friends like that!?" "THEY DESERVED WHAT THEY GOT!" Garudo shouted turning, "They left my wife to die out there! You can't fathom the pain I felt that day!" "Why didn't you kill Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Hinata that day, as well?" "Because, those three saw fit to help Autumn try to live. And, for that, I was grateful."

Naruto tried to resist the frustration over what he was hearing. "But," Garudo began, "I still yearned for my wife; over the years, the love that I had for my daughter was nothing compared to the hatred that I had for the Leaf Village. That is until...I found the Scroll of Time!" "What are you planning?" Naruto asked. "It's simple! I'm going to open the Scroll of Time and travel into the past and save my wife!"

"Are you trying to play with your wife's life like that?!" Naruto shouted, "She chose to go on that mission! What would of happened if you DID manage to save her! What would happen if you went against her wishes?" "It was none of our business anyway! Besides, once I save Autumn, I'm going to do more than just kill our friends...I'M GOING TO KILL KAKASHI FOR ASSIGNING THAT STUPID MISSION IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Naruto had enough; he, immediately, transformed himself into Tailed Beast Mode. "You'll have to kill me first!" Naruto said. Garudo smiled and said, "By all means, I will..." Then, he quickly transformed into a form similar to Naruto's, except the color was a dark-purplish color.

Nagisa and Sakura were just finishing up the last of the dark-clothed ninjas. "Well, I'd say that was easy!" Sakura said. "Yeah!" Nagisa replied, "Although I was able to kill most of them! Huh?" Nagisa stopped talking and turned to look away from Sakura. "Nagisa?" Sakura said, "What's the matter?" "I...can sense _**Kurama's**_ chakra," she said, "It's swirling all over Naruto! I can also sense my daddy's chakra, except it's a little different..."

_'Kurama's chakra?'_ Sakura thought. _'Oh no!'_ She immediately ran towards the stairs. "Sakura, wait!" Nagisa said trying to catch up with her, "I'm coming with you!" _'If Naruto is using Kurama's chakra, that means he's in a serious fight! Please, Naruto! Wait until I get there!'_

Naruto walked over to Garudo as they stood toe-to-toe with each other. The chakra between started to spark lightning. "You don't have to do this..." Naruto said. "Yes...I do," Garudo said back. "Then, so be it!"

A fist rammed into Garudo's gut, then an elbow hit the back of his head. Naruto then sent a knee into his face. As Garudo moved back in pain, Naruto moved behind him and knocked him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Landing, Naruto saw Garudo try and get up. "Is that enough or do you want some more?" he shouted. However, Garudo stood up like nothing hurt him.

"Now, I'm begining to wonder why my original is the Leaf Village's Jinchuriki!" he said, "If you were using that power against just some ordinary ninja, they would all be in the infirmary. But, thanks to the chakra I absorbed from the Scroll of Time, my power has grown to new heights that I can't even fathom." "So what?!" Naruto shouted, "You may have power, but it doesn't mean a thing, unless you know how to use it!" Garudo turned around afterwards. "Is that right?" he breathed.

Appearing right before Naruto, Garudo launched a right fist at him, causing Naruto to block. But the impact knocked him to the ground. "What the?!" Naruto said in shock. "I guess you have forgotten about our_ Kekkei Genkai_: _To control and amplify our chakra through small, intense bursts._ Maybe, you're the one who doesn't know how to use his power!" Trying to stand up, Tailed Beast Naruto _(Bijuu Naruto)_ started to breathe hard. _'I don't believe it!'_ he thought. _'Just one damn punch and he's got me in the corner! Just by amplifying his power through that, his level of chakra just shot up higher than mine!'_

_"Naruto?"_ a voice said. Naruto and Garudo saw Sakura and Nagisa make their way into the room. "Naruto, what in the...?" Sakura said. "Daddy?" Nagisa said. "Nagisa..." Garudo breathed. Naruto lunged in for an attack, but his replica moved out of the way. The original found himself in front of the girls. "Naruto, what is going on?" Sakura asked, "Why are you attacking Garudo?"

"To make a long story short," Naruto began, "He was the one who orchestrated the attack on the Leaf! Those ninjas, we thought to be Orochimaru's army, were really Garudo's shadow clones!" "Say what?" Sakura said shocked. "Daddy?" Nagisa said reverting out of Sage Mode, "Is that true? Did you really attack the village?" Garudo didn't say anything. "Daddy!" "Why would he do that, Naruto?" "Because, he's replica of me created by Orochimaru. And he is planning on using to Scroll of Time to go into the past and save his wife! Not to mention to kill Kakashi-sensei in the past!"

"Garudo wants to kill Kakashi-sensei!?" Sakura said in shock. "Daddy...wants to save Momma..." Nagisa breathed.

Garudo just smiled...

_** After hearing Garudo's backstory, Naruto finally gets the answers his wants: He and Sakura are in another world; a timeline different from the one they recognize. Now knowing of Garudo Inugami's plot, can Naruto halt his plans of changing time forever?**_

_**A/N: We have now started the climax of the story! Next Chapter, it will be Naruto vs Nagisa! Please Review! **_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Previously**__**: Naruto has finally gotten answers after hearing Garudo Inugami's background. He is actually a replica of Naruto created by Orochimaru, as well as his wife, Autumn Tenoh, the replica of Sakura Haruno. **_

_** Due to a near-botched S-Rank mission, Garudo has intense hatred for the village that led to his wife's death. To that end, he kills most of the Konoha 11. After Naruto finds out that he and Sakura are in another world, a timeline different from theirs, can he actually stop somebody who is stronger than him?**_

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Ten**_

Tailed Beast Naruto (Bijuu Naruto) stared at Garudo, who was in a cloak similar, but in a dark-purplish color. Garudo smiled as he stared at Naruto, Sakura, and Nagisa, who where opposing him.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked, "Did I hear that right? Garudo is _your_ replica?" "Yeah," Naruto answered, "A replica created by Orochimaru, himself. He wants to use the Scroll of Time to go back into the past...and rescue his wife...your replica, Sakura..." "My...replica?!" Sakura said in shock as she stared at Garudo. "Garudo's wife..." she began, "is MY replica?"

_"Daddy wants...to save Momma..."_ Nagisa said in a daze.

"Would you like to try again?" Garudo asked smirking, "Although, I seriously doubt that none of you would make any difference; absorbing the chakra from the Scroll of Time has made me stronger than any of those fools from the village! Especially you, Naruto..." Naruto continued to get angry. "Once I open the Scroll, I'll be able to put things back the way it should be..."

"By killing Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto shouted, then lunging at him, "Who are you to cast judgment!?" As he sent out a punch, Garudo caught it. Sending another one, Naruto was shocked at the quickness as his replica caught both of his fists. He struggled to get himself free from Garudo's grip. "I already told you," Garudo said, "I'm stronger than you as is! What can you possibly accomplish?"

As he stopped struggling, Naruto closed his eyes. "What are you doing?" Garudo asked. About thirty seconds later, his eyes changed immediately and he grabbed Garudo's wrist. "What the...?!" Garudo said, looking into Naruto's eyes, "What?! _Sage Mode along with Kurama's chakra_!?" Breaking free, Naruto formed a Rasengan with his right hand, slamming it into his gut. The impact pushed him back a few inches. "How? How is it that he gained so much strength just by applying the Sage Mode with Kurama's chakra?" "This it the form I took when I was fighting with Madara!" Naruto said, forming another Rasengan, "Now, that I'm using my Sage Mode and Kurama's chakra at the same time, I'm just as powerful as you are!"

Naruto rushed at Garudo again. As the replica covered himself, something fell in between them. A cloud of dust appeared forcing the both of them, including Sakura, to cover their faces. A person stood in the smoke as it dispersed. _"Nagisa?"_ Garudo said. "Nagisa?" Naruto whispered. She opened her eyes, but they were different from usual. "Nagisa..." Garudo said again. "Go on, Daddy..." she said, "I will defeat...Naruto..." Nagisa grabbed her sword as her father took his chance to run down the large hallway. "Wait!" Naruto shouted. "Naruto..." Nagisa said, "...I want to see my...Momma..."

Nagisa disappeared so suddenly, as a slash knocked him backwards. "What the?!" Another slash and several more came as Naruto was unable to defend himself. After seeing Nagisa behind him, Naruto jumped into the air. By the time he looked down, Nagisa was gone again. "Where'd she go?" he asked. "Naruto, behind you!" Sakura shouted. Before he could turn around, the little Inugami appeared behind him. _**"Giant Rasengan! (Oodama Rasengan!)"**_ The massive spiraling sphere collided with Naruto, causing an explosion knocking down to the ground.

Garudo reverted back to his normal state as he made it to the end of the hallway. He appeared in another room, which was a deadend.

"Thank you, Nagisa..." he said, "Soon...our family will be together again." Going towards a pile of rocks, he pulled out a large scroll with several bindings. "Here it is..._**The Scroll of Time**_!" Garudo placed it on the ground. He took a few steps back and then proceeded to do a fifteen handsign jutsu. _**"Gate open...Release!"**_ he shouted. The bindings broke away from the Scroll of Time and the scroll itself started to float in the air. It, then, began to unravel. However, there were no words to read, the page was all blank.

Seconds later, the Scroll of Time started to glow brightly. "It's almost time," Garudo said, "In _fifteen _minutes, it will be at full power. Then, I'll be able to go back in time..."

Naruto was knocked out of Sage Mode and Tailed Beast Form as he tried to get up. As he looked ahead, Nagisa was standing before him. "Nagisa!" he breathed, "What are you doing?" "Please..." Nagisa said, without emotion, "...stay down...Naruto..." "Nagisa, don't do it!" Sakura shouted, "Don't fight Naruto! He's not the one you should point your sword at!"

"Sakura..." Nagisa breathed, "...I will...defeat Naruto... I...want to see...Momma..." "You want to see you mother?" Sakura asked. "Nagisa, wake up!" Naruto shouted, "Don't you know what your father is doing?! It's true that he wants to bring back your mom, but he also wants to kill Kakashi-sensei for assigning that mission in the first place! Don't you understand?! It's not right for him to kill, just to bring somebody back!"

"No!" Nagisa said bringing back her emotion, "No! No! No! No! No! Why can't you understand!? WHY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!?" Nagisa let loose a scream, with powerful shockwaves to boot. The pressure of the shockwaves forced Naruto and Sakura to covered themselves, almost knocking down Sakura. _'Amazing!'_ Sakura thought. _'She used the chakra in her body to generate shockwaves!'_ She looked around and saw the place was starting to fall apart; bits and pieces of rocks were already falling from the ceiling. _'Those shockwaves...!'_ she continued to think. _'They were strong enough to emulate the power of a kage!'_

Naruto placed his arms to his side after the shockwaves subsided. He looked at Nagisa, who had tears in her eyes; she had been crying. "I only saw small images of my mother, when I was born. Right now, I don't even remember who she is, or what she looks like! I don't even have a picture of her at home! I grew up, letting Daddy tell me that she was special. I want to see Momma, so I can tell her that myself! I've always heard stories about you living without parents yourself. But, I can't live like you! I want to see Momma...!" Her tears continued to flow from her eyes. "Nagisa..." Sakura breathed.

It all came clear to Naruto now; Nagisa was going through exactly what he was going through. He, immediately, thought back on his parents, **Minato Namikaze **and **Kushina Uzumaki**. He truly remembered on how they were both killed on the day of his birth... Nagisa lost her mother in a similar fashion. Nagisa then raised her sword again. "Nagisa, don't!" Sakura shouted. "It's okay, Sakura!" Naruto spoke up, "I understand now..." "Naruto..."

"Nagisa," Naruto began, "I truly know what it's like to live without any parents... Through my first years, I felt awful. The people, who lived through that day, believe me to be a hero when they put Kurama in me; I didn't feel like one... But, to this day, if my parents didn't do what they did, I wouldn't be here, let alone, have the courage to become as great as I am today." "Your parents...did that for you?" Nagisa asked. "Sasuke was going the same thing I was, except he knew what his parents looked like." The young Inugami soaked up every detail.

"Thank you, Naruto..." she said, "I wanted to hear that from you..." "Nagisa..." Sakura replied. "But, it's too late!" Nagisa then pointed at him again. "I want to see my Momma, and I'll kill you if you get in my way." "Then," Naruto said, going into his Tailed Beast Form, "This is the way it has to be..." "Yes, it is..."

Nagisa rushed in as Naruto moved away from her first attack. In a quick move, she threw shurikens that exploded on impact. Naruto made his move by kicking her into the wall. "No yet..." she said, breaking free. Both of them launched a Rasengan at each other, but Nagisa was receiving the brunt as she fell down again. "I'm not done yet..." she breathed trying to get back up. _'Her moves are unfocused!'_ Naruto thought. _'She's not even relying on her Kekkei Genkai to stop me! She's just, wildly, attacking me!'_

_'This has to stop!'_ Sakura thought. _'If this keeps up, Naruto will have no other choice, but to kill her! But, Nagisa is so focused on her mother, she won't listen to anybody... Wait... Her mother?'_

_**(Flashback)**_

In some grassy plains area, Nagisa ran through a field of flowers as butterflies fluttered around her.

"This _place_," Nagisa began, "...is where my mother took me before she died." "Why to a place like this?" Sakura asked, "It's so full of flowers..." "Well, my daddy said that this was the place my mother always use to go to clear her thoughts. I don't remember much on what my mother looked like, but my daddy also told me that she took me up here one time in my baby carriage."

_**"It was here that my mother use to sing my lullaby..."**_

_**(End Flashback)**_

_'Her mother's lullaby!'_ Sakura then thought. _'If her mother was really my replica, then...'_

Nagisa strained trying to hold up her sword. "Nagisa, please!" Naruto said holding out his hand. "I have to do this for my Momma!" Nagisa said. He was about to give up hope, until he and Nagisa heard a beautiful singing voice. They both turned and looked at Sakura who was singing.

_**Each day when the sun rises, I hurry from my sleep,**_

_**I can't wait to greet you with my song.**_

_**You are every kind of flower, every animal I meet,**_

_**You are nature full of grace and majesty.**_

_**From the skies the snow gently falls to the earth,**_

_**From your trees the birds nest and play.**_

_**From your oceans the fish school and travel the world,**_

_**Oh, nature, please don't ever go away.**_

_**Each day when the sun rises, I hurry from my sleep,**_

_**I can't wait to greet you with my song.**_

_**You are every kind of flower, every animal I meet,**_

_**Nature you are grace and majesty.**_

Nagisa's eyes filled up with tears again. "That's my...Momma's..." Before she could say anything else, she slowly over to Sakura, trying to picture her mother, Autumn. Sakura was able to catch her before she fell to the ground. Nagisa closed her eyes as Sakura hugged her tightly. "Momma..." she said as tears continued to fall.

"Sakura..." Naruto said revert from Tailed Beast mode. "It's okay now," Sakura said, "She just fell asleep." She continued to rub Nagisa as she drifted to sleep. "Sleep now, Nagisa. _Momma's_ got you now; just let all the bad stuff fly away..."

The Scroll of Time started to glow even brighter as Garudo stared at it. "Soon," he said, "Very soon..."

Naruto and Sakura sat Nagisa on the wall of the large room as she continued to sleep. "She wake up in a few minutes anyway," Sakura replied. "I never realised that you has a beautiful singing voice," Naruto said. "There's a lot of things no one knows about me, Naruto..."

They stopped their conversation as the hideout began to shake again. Naruto turned around and looked at the hallway. "Garudo must have found the Scroll of Time!" he said. "What'll we do, Naruto?" Sakura asked, "We can't just leave Nagisa here!" "You stay with her, then. I'll stop him this time. Besides, it's a matter of _dealing with myself_, anyways..."

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura shouted watching him run through the hallway. She pressed her hand on her stomach, then she looked at Nagisa. "I'll be back, Nagisa. Just sleep until then." As she ran after Naruto, Nagisa started to open her eyes. "Momma..." she breathed.

_'This is where we end it, Garudo!' _Naruto thought as he continued to run. Without him noticing, Sakura was rushing at him. "Naruto!" she shouted. He stopped running as she made it in front of him. "Sakura, I thought were looking after Nagisa!" he replied. "Naruto, we need to talk about...us!" "Sakura, there's no time for that! Garudo may be opening the Scroll of Time by now!" "This will only take a few minutes!" "Sakura, what are you talking abo..." "I read the diary, Naruto!"

Everything was quiet between the two. "You read the diary...?" Naruto spoke up. "Is that what you wanted to tell me before all of this happened? Why would you give up your dream of being Hokage?" Naruto hesitated to answer at first. "I let Neji die," he began, "After trying to convince Obito, he dies too. But most importantly, I made you a promise that I would bring Sasuke back home... Now, he can no longer live in the village; if I only stopped him at the _Final Valley _when i had a chance..." Sakura lowered her head during the whole explanation.

"I have so much to do to make up for all the losses and the messes I made as a kid," Naruto continued, "And being Hokage won't make up for it."

"Don't you say that!" Sakura getting angry, "I may have made fun of your dream before, but time and time again, you've proven that your dream can come true! Through hardships, losses, even through...promises..." "Sakura, I..." At that moment, Sakura hugged Naruto. "And, we're going to get through this one together as well!" she continued. "Why?" Naruto asked. "Because I don't ever want you to give up your dream of being Hokage. Just like...I don't ever want to give up on my dream...of being a _mother_..."

Naruto lifted her head up and said, "Being a mother?" "At least, when you do become Hokage, I want _our child_ to be the one to witness it!" Sakura replied. "Our child?" Naruto asked, "Sakura, you mean...?" She nodded in agreement; she was pregnant...with his child. Without knowing it, Naruto and Sakura leaned towards each other and kissed. Naruto has one more reason to win this battle...

Ending their kiss, Naruto looked seriously into Sakura's eyes. "Then, are you ready for this?" he asked her. "I'm more than ready!" she replied in a serious tone. "Then...Let's go!" They both headed for the direction where Garudo was. And, the Scroll of Time...

_**After an intense situation, Sakura tells Naruto that she is pregnant with his unborn child as they both race to stop Garudo Inugami from completing the Scroll of Time ritual. But even with their resolve now stronger than eve, is it enough to Naruto's replica from going back in time?**_

_**A/N: Just two chapters left! Next chapter is the Final Battle! Until then, please review!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own The Song of Animaria. **_


	11. Chapter 11

___**Previously**__**: Garudo Inugami, Naruto Uzumaki's replica wants to use the Scroll of Time to go back into the past and save his wife, Autumn Tenoh, Sakura Haruno's replica, from going on a mission that killed her. Nagisa, Garudo's daughter, with a hang-up of seeing her mother, tries to interfere. But, with a loving lullaby by Sakura, Nagisa has come to her senses.**_

_** Now, on to stopping Garudo's plans, Sakura tells Naruto that she is with child and he is the father. As their resolve is at the ready, the final battle begins now...**_

_**Naruto: Rewind ~ Chapter Eleven**_

The Scroll of Time started to grow wildly. Garudo stood in front of it getting ready to jump in the moment it was complete.

"It is almost time," he said, "In a few more minutes, the gate will be complete and I'll be able to travel into the past." _'Autumn, soon we will be together once more...Very soon...'_

Continuing to run through the large hallway, Naruto and Sakura were talking.

"What?!" Sakura said, "Wait a minute! Naruto, are you saying that this world, we're in right now, is NOT an illusion created by Genjutsu? It's our world, but different? Garudo's world?" "Yeah, for the most part!" Naruto explained, "My guess is, Garudo's world is in a different timeline, _very different _from ours." "How so?" "According to him, Garudo and his wife, Autumn, _our replicas_, were created by Orochimaru just before the Chunin Exams started. He must have grabbed a sample of our blood on that bridge where we fought Zabuza and Haku on our first mission. To avoid suspicion, they both changed their appearances and blended in with our ninja class."

"In a sense, I'm not surprised!" Sakura replied, "Orochimaru is always doing crazy things! But, if they both blended in, I assumed that it must have worked!" "Yeah! Not only did they become friends with us, but Garudo also help us convince Sasuke not to leave the village when he heard about Itachi! It wasn't until after the war that he started to go crazy!" Naruto continued. "You mean that S-Rank mission?" "Yeah! After Nagisa was born, he flipped out after he heard that his wife was killed! So, he murdered nearly everyone who was part of that mission! Now, he wants to use the Scroll of Time to go back into the past and prevent her from going on that mission. Once he done that, he's going kill Kakashi-sensei for assigning that mission in the first place!"

"Naruto, if that happens...!" Sakura said. "I don't want to think about anything else until I get the answers from the source itself!"

Finally made it to the final room, Naruto and Sakura finally confronted Garudo, who turned around.

"You're too late, Naruto!" he shouted, "The Scroll of Time has already been opened and activated!" _'Oh no!'_ Naruto thought as he looked at the Scroll begining to grow brighter. "In ten minutes, the gate will finally open and I will be able to go into the past!" "Garudo!" Naruto shouted, "I understand what you're going through! I know that Autumn deserves a second chance at life, and so do you, but you don't have to kill Kakashi-sensei just to prove a point!"

"I need to prove this point!" Garudo said in a deep voice, "Kakashi will learn not to mess with nobody's lives!" "You can't change the past!" Sakura said, "Even if the past is right in front you!" "Garudo!" Naruto said, "Your wife wasn't forced on the mission, she chose to go! You and her both knew that the S-Rank mission, she went on, was very dangerous. Even Kakashi-sensei knew that the odds of coming back alive was slim-to-none! So, I'm not going to justify your decision if it's going to destroy _future events_!"

"Future events?" Garudo said. Then, he saw Naruto walk over to Sakura and take her by the hands. "Sakura is with child," Naruto said, "With my child. She doesn't want to give up her dream of being a mother." He turned to face Garudo. "And, I won't let you take that dream from her! I'm willing to do whatever it takes for it to come true!" "Naruto..." Sakura breathed.

"Hmph!" Garudo said, "Your childish prattling has only delay the inevitable! In eight minutes, the gate will be open! If you want to stop, now is the time..."

Still holding on to Sakura's left hand, Naruto said to her, "Are you ready?" Sakura nodded in agreement. He activated his Tailed Beast Form as Kurama's chakra began to surround Sakura. "Concentrate, Sakura! I'm going to inject more chakra into you!" Under the intense infusion of Kurama's chakra, Sakura was given a cloak similar to what Naruto had. She opened her eyes and stared at Garudo. "That look in her eyes..." Garudo said silently. "We have to hit him with one clean shot!" Naruto replied, "We can't risk a close-combat fight..." Both of them opened their hands as they formed a Rasengan with wind blades. "Is that...!?"

_**"Wind Style: Rasenshuriken! (Futon: Rasenshuriken!)"**_ both Naruto and Sakura shouted as they threw it towards Garudo. The replica, himself, blocked it by trying to hold it. "Keep pouring on the chakra!" Naruto shouted as Sakura screamed pushing more energy. They lost the will to keep up their chakra as Garudo destroyed the Rasenshuriken. "What?!" Sakura shouted as her cloak disappeared. Naruto reverted back to normal as he was shocked at what happened. "That was a full-powered Rasenshuriken!" he said.

Garudo chuckled as he stood up straight. "It's useless!" he shouted, "I have absorbed enough chakra from the Scroll of Time to make me stronger than I was before! Even if you go into your Sage Mode, using Kurama's chakra, it still wouldn't be enough!" _'Unbelieveable!'_ Naruto thought, starting to shake. _'Someone __**that**__ strong actually exists!?'_ "Well then..." Garudo said, emitting his dark-purplish cloak, "Shall we end this little game?"

_"Stop!"_ a voice shouted. Naruto, Sakura, and Garudo looked at Nagisa enter the room. _'Nagisa!'_ Sakura thought. _'She must have woken up after we left her resting!'_ Nagisa threw herself in between them, staring at her father. "Daddy!" she began, "This has to stop now!" "Just in time, Nagisa!" Garudo said, "Why don't you keep them busy for awhile until the gate is open?" "I won't do that!" "Why? I thought you wanted Momma back..." "I do! More than anything..." She looked down trying not to cry. "There was so many nights that I wish that Momma was here with me... But, when I heard Sakura sing Momma's lullaby, it was then I knew. Momma was _here_, with me, the whole time!"

"What are you talking about?" Garudo asked his daughter. "You said that you and Momma were replicas of both Naruto and Sakura, right? Then, that makes these two my family as well! Come on, Daddy... Let's go back to Kakashi-sensei and explain everything!"

Suddenly, Garudo's eyes were hidden from view. "So, you don't want me to bring back your mother?" he asked, "_Foolish child..._" A mysterious beam of light appeared; Nagisa screamed in pain as she fell to her knees. "Nagisa!" Sakura shouted as she and Naruto came to her aid. She noticed that a kunai went through her shoulder. "Oh my God!" she said in suspense, "The kunai went right through the bone!" "You bastard!" Naruto shouted, "Look what you did to your daughter!?"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CHILDISH PRATTLING!" Garudo shouted as he gathered chakra in his hands, "I'm going to save my wife, whether you three like it or not! Then, I will kill Kakashi! Who knows? Maybe, I'll become Hokage myself!" _'He gathering chakra for a Rasengan!'_ Naruto thought. "But, that means...!" "That's right!" Garudo said smiling, _**"Time Style: Rasengan!"**_ The gathering of chakra has begun to shake the ceiling. "How fitting that the technique you taught me, I will now destroy you with!"

Naruto looked on in horror. "This is crazy!" he said, "Even fight at my full power, I'm no match for him! What can I do?" _"It's okay, Naruto,"_ Nagisa said opening her eyes, revealing that they have changed. "Nagisa," Sakura began as she saw her standing up, "You're in _Sage Mode_. But why? Don't tell us that you're going to fight against your father!" "That person is NOT my father anymore," Nagisa said walking forward. She pulled the kunai out from her shoulder and threw it to the side. Blood dripped down her arm afterwards. "This has to end..."

"Nagisa, no!" Sakura said trying to reason with her, "Even if you are in Sage Mode, that kunai did a lot of damage to your shoulder muscle and bone. You won't be able to do any jutsu!" "I'm not going to sit down while this is going on!" Nagisa said, "One arm is definitely enough! I'll just have to give it my all!" Naruto walked up to her and whispered, "Are you sure you want to do this? Once you go for it, it's kill or be killed!" Nagisa turned to look at the man, who looked like her father and said, "My father told me this once: _**I never go back on my word! That is my ninja way!**_"

Hearing his own words, Naruto smiled as he gave Nagisa his vote of confidence. "Nagisa!" Sakura shouted. "Let her do it!" Naruto said. "But why?! Naruto, she doesn't the power to match her father's!" "She made this decision on her own; let her finish it! If you think about for a minute, she's lot like me: A hyperactive knucklehead!" Sakura turned her gaze back to Nagisa in worry; the little Inugami started to gather her chakra.

Garudo started to smirk. "You're pretty brave, going against your father like this!" he shouted, "Too bad, this is going to be your last punishment, Nagisa!" "We'll see about that!" Nagisa shouted, "By using the Rasengan you taught me!"

Both Rasengan were formed as both Garudo and Nagisa got ready to fire. _'It's maddening!'_ Sakura thought. _'Even if she used her Kekkei Genkai, it still wouldn't be enough. This is suicide!' _

"TAKE THIS!" Garudo shouted, _**"Time Style..."**_ _**"Sage Art: Giant...!" **_Nagisa shouted.

_**"RASENGAN!"**_

Both spheres collided in the center of the room as Naruto and Sakura covered from the wind that was blowing. The two spheres combined to make one giant as more pieces of the ceiling began to fall. Garudo began to push the large ball towards Nagisa, who struggled with her injured arm. "She's losing it, already!" Naruto said, "I have to go help her!" "Naruto, wait!" Sakura said, grabbing his arm, "What are you planning on doing?" "I going to infuse her with chakra! Maybe that will help her out a bit! You stay here!" "Naruto, don't do anything stupid!" "I'm not! Besides, I don't want you getting involved; I'd be worried about you and the baby!" With that, Naruto activated his Tailed Beast Form.

Walking slowly, Naruto placed his hands on Nagisa's arm, infusing her body with chakra. "Naruto?" Nagisa asked. "Just focus on the Rasengan, Nagisa!" Naruto shouted, "You can do it!"

"So, Naruto decides to help out!" Garudo said, "How very NICE of him!" With that, he added more chakra to the Rasengan, continuing to push forward towards Naruto and Nagisa. Despite trying to hold her own, Nagisa strained over the struggle. "Come on, Nagisa!" Naruto shouted, "I'm giving you all the chakra I've got! Why aren't you using it?!" "I'm trying!" Nagisa shouted, "But, I'm doing everything I can to maintain the Rasengan as is! I don't know if I can keep this up!"

"Don't you sell yourself short!" Naruto shouted, "As I recall, you were able to match your strength with mine! _Believe it_, you can match your strength with your father's! Now, it's time to show how powerful you are! And, we're going to do it RIGHT NOW!" Nagisa stopped shaking and stayed focus. "It's almost time, Nagisa!" Garudo shouted. "Do it now, Nagisa!" Naruto shouted as Nagisa placed more chakra into the Rasengan pushing it back. "She's doing it!" Sakura shouted.

Garudo struggled as the Rasengan was pushed back his way. "YOU FOOLS!" he shouted, "I have absorbed enough chakra, from the Scroll of Time, to make myself invincible! Your level of power is NOTHING TO ME!"

Amplifying his chakra, Garudo pushed the large Rasengan back towards Nagisa. "It can't be!" Sakura shouted in shock. "He's pushing me back already?!" Nagisa shouted. _'It's not making any sense!'_ Naruto thought. _'I'm giving her every bit of chakra! Especially from Kurama! Why isn't it enough?! Wait, what if...!?' _"Nagisa! If you're holding back because you're scared of killing your father, just let it go!" Nagisa turned her head to look at Naruto in confusion. "Nothing will work out unless you have the intent to kill!" he continued speaking. "Me? I have to kill my father!?" Nagisa asked herself.

_'Oh no!'_ Sakura thought. _'Nagisa's losing it! If this keeps up, she and Naruto won't last much longer!'_

_**(Flashback)**_

__Nagisa closed her eyes as Sakura hugged her tightly. "Momma..." she said as tears continued to fall.

"It's okay, now," Sakura said, "She just fell asleep." She continued to rub her Nagisa's head as she drifted to sleep. "Sleep now, Nagisa. Momma's got you now; just let all the bad stuff fly away..."

_**(End Flashback)**_

Gaining a determined look on her face, Sakura concentrated the chakra, that Naruto had given her, and created her cloak one more time. She walked towards Naruto and Nagisa and placed her hands on Nagisa's shoulder. "Sakura?" Nagisa asked. "Sakura, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, "You shouldn't get involved!" "I thought we agreed that we're going to get through together!" Sakura shouted. "So, Sakura wants to get involved too, eh?" Garudo asked, "I guess I get to destroy all three of you!"

Hearing that, made Nagisa get angry. "YOU LEAVE SAKURA ALONE!" she shouted placing more chakra into the attack, forcing the Rasengan towards her father. "I told you, IT'S USELESS!" Garudo shouted pushing back the Rasengan. But, he found out that the large sphere couldn't go any farther. "What?!" he shouted, "I can't push it any more? Even the power of Sage Mode and Kurama's chakra, it still wouldn't be enough!" Then, he looked up to see Sakura infusing her chakra in Nagisa. "I see... So, even a _burden_ can help out at times!"

"It's funny that I've been called that!" Sakura replied, "But, Naruto never thought I was!" "That's right!" Naruto said, "That's why, the bonds I have with my friends are always so strong! You, who threw away those bonds a long time ago, doesn't understand what true power really is!" "Father..." Nagisa began, "...you tried to train me to be a great ninja. But, you were so corrupt by hatred, you lost the will to love somebody, even me. Now, it's time for me to open your eyes! Because, I'm not fighting you as Nagisa Inugami; I'm fighting you as _**Nagisa Uzumaki**_!"

As Garudo started to get angry, a transparent figure touched Nagisa's left hand. Nagisa slowly turned her head to see, but seconds later, she looked forward to stay focus. _"It's now time, Nagisa!"_ a voice said. "Nagisa!" Naruto shouted. "Nagisa!" Sakura shouted. _"Do it now, Nagisa! Let it go!"_

Listening to the voice, Nagisa screamed her lungs out as she put every last bit of chakra into the Rasengan, making it bigger than it was. The jump in chakra made a massive push, in which Garudo struggled. "I...can't...STOP IT!" he shouted. The very large Rasengan engulfed him and started to plunge him through the wall. Nagisa, exhausted, reverted back to normal and fell to the ground. The cloak that surrounded Sakura disappeared as she tended to her. "Huh?" she breathed, "Where did Naruto go?"

Surrounded by a mysterious, white light, Garudo used all of his power to break free from the overpowered Rasengan, but was unable to maintain his cloak and was exhausted. "Even..." he said through his teeth, "...that was enough to stop me!" _"No!"_ a voice said, _"But this will!"_ Naruto appeared in front of Garudo, who was shocked. _**"RASENGAN!"**_ The Kyuubi Jinchuriki drove his favorite technique into and through the replica's gut.

Garudo screamed in pain as he and Naruto were soon engulfed by the mysterious white light. The scream echoed and died afterwards...

_**TO BE CONCLUDED...**_

_**A/N: The Epilogue of this story is coming! Please review!**_


	12. Epilogue Ending

_**Naruto: Rewind Opening Song - Progress**_

_I was there, at that time, at that place._

_If that me who was fighting there,_

_If everything was for the sake of choosing this moment right now..._

_I wonder if the reason I want to forgive_

_That past where we deserted without facing ourselves_

_is because I want to be forgiven myself._

_The time when we were able to just be free is far away._

_We can't live in this time with just an innocent smile, but..._

_We move ahead. _

_Even so, We continue to move ahead_

_Because we still have a heart left inside of us_

_that wants to believe in something._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Naruto: Rewind ~ Epilogue<strong>_

The ceiling continue to shake as Sakura covered herself, as well as Nagisa. Several seconds later, the shaking stopped as she looked up. There was a hole in the wall of the room, and the Scroll of Tiime was still active. Sakura then stood up to hear the sound of walking. Coming through the hole in the wall, she saw Naruto carry Garudo Inugami's body.

"Naruto!" she said walking towards him. Nodding at her, Naruto walked past her and laid down Garudo right beside Nagisa. "How is she doing?" he asked her. "She'll be alright," Sakura replied, "She's just unconscious from exhausting all of her chakra." She then looked at Garudo, who had a serious injury. She covered her mouth in surprise, knowing that her healing abilities alone would not be able to save him. "It had to be done, Sakura..." Naruto replied.

Coughing up blood, Garudo opened his left eye looking at Naruto and Sakura, still wincing from his fatal injury. "Why?" he asked, "Why won't you have my happiness back?" "Garudo," Naruto said, looking at him with a sorrowful face, "I never took away your happiness... Because, you already had it..." He turned to look the unconscious Nagisa; Garudo did the same. "Nagisa..." Garudo breathed. "If you were to go back in time now, she would have never been the shinobi that she is today." "You know," Sakura began, walking up, "I always kicked myself hard when I saw Naruto walk into his home, knowing that there is no one there waiting for him. Now, knowing well that I'm carrying his child, I want to be there for him from here on out. Just like, whatever time you have left, you need to be there for Nagisa."

_"She's right, Garudo!"_ a voice said. Naruto & Sakura looked around and saw no one. However, a transparent person stood right beside Garudo. Sakura looked carefully and saw that the person was a brown-haired woman, who looked just like her. "Naruto," she said pointing, "That woman, looking at Garudo... She looks just like me!" "Then," Naruto began, "She's..." "_*cough*_...It can't be!" Garudo said spitting up blood, "_**Autumn...**_"

The transparent woman was indeed Autumn Tenoh, Sakura Haruno's replica and Garudo's late wife. She kneeled down to talk to her husband. "Garudo," she began, "I have been watching the whole time. Now, that you have an injury, you won't be able to recover from, we need to be there for our daughter, Nagisa, both in body and spirit..." "It wouldn't be in spirit if...!" Garudo barely spoke, but Autumn just laughed. "Just shut up, you big idiot..." Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and smiled.

"Naruto...Sakura..." Autumn then said, "Thank you so much for protecting my Nagisa. But... I'm afraid that everything that has happened, up to this point, was _my_ fault..." "Your fault?" Sakura asked. "What? What.._*cough*_...are you talking about, Autumn?" Garudo asked. "Although Garudo was partially right about the bonding agent that keeps our bodies together would deteriorate due to emotional stress... The _truth_ is..._**my body deteriorating even before the S-Rank mission began...**_" "What?!" Garudo shouted coughing up more blood. "It was right after Nagisa was born that my body was beginning to become too frail. I was coughing up blood, my body wasn't able to move the way it wanted it to... I kept that all from you within the several months of Nagisa's birth. On the day of the mission, I told everybody the truth about you and me..."

"You told everybody that you two were our replicas?" Sakura asked, "But why?" "Because the mission, I volunteered to go on..." Autumn replied, "my body continued to deteriorate. And, in my moments of self-grief, I told them." "Ah man!" Naruto breathed. "In the months that Nagisa were born, I came back here to the hideout where we were created and I found skeletons of other replicas; their bones...very frail... How ironic, Orochimaru did make a success after all. But, in the end, replicas can never live a full life..." "What did you figure out?" Sakura asked again, "There had must of been something..."

"After you told everyone about yourself..." Naruto asked, "...what happened to you then?" "Knowing full well that I was dying," Autumn said, "I ask them to do one thing..._to kill me_." Naruto and Sakura were in stunned silence afterwards. "I had come to figure out, that a replicas DNA would break apart the moment they continue to age; Garudo and I wouldn't have lived past the age of _forty_. In the last moments of my life, they promised to keep it a secret from Garudo. Because, I knew that my daughter, Nagisa, a full homegrown human being, would carry on the legacy of the Inugami..."

After hearing her explanation, tears started to fall from the left eye of Garudo Inugami. "You mean," he began, "if everything you said was true, then..._*sob*_...I killed our friends for nothing?!" "Hatred _begets_ hatred, Garudo," Naruto replied. "I was so caught up in my hatred, that I never let them have the chance to tell me the whole truth. I so sorry for that..." Garudo's tears kept falling as Sakura now began to feel sorry for him. "Because of what I did, I'll never know if they will forgive me or not!" "You don't have to worry," Autumn said placing her ghost hand on her husband, "Once you cross over, you can ask them yourself..."

Naruto walked up to Garudo and said, "I envy you. You had courage to do things I couldn't do back then. I guess if I had half the courage you possessed then, maybe I would have stopped Sasuke from going to Orochimaru." Garudo stopped crying as he listened to Naruto. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Sasuke Uchiha let his hatred consume him. In the end, it nearly cost him his life..." Garudo couldn't understand what his original was saying, until he figured it out. "You're not from this world, are you? You and Sakura, both..." Naruto and Sakura both nodded in agreement, in silence.

The Scroll of Time finally glowed brightly as a small wind occurred. "What's going on?" Naruto said. "The Scroll of Time is finally complete..." Autumn replied, "Use this opportunity and head back to your world!" "But, we can't just leave you three here!" Sakura pleaded. "Naruto! Sakura!" Garudo barely spoke, "Once you enter the gate, wish clearly on where you want to go. The moment you enter, the gate will close behind you and this world will begin to _disappear_..."

"Disappear?!" Naruto shouted, "But why?" "He's right, Naruto..." Autumn answered, "There is a reason why the Scroll of Time is forbidden to use; the very moment it disappears, that world will disappear with it..." "Do you mean...?" "Not in the _cease to exist_ sense, but the _**History of the Ninja World**_ will start over again; the wars, the killing, the senseless fighting, everything... It's only because we need to erase any signs that the Scroll of Time ever existed here. Hopefully, if and when we are born again, this tragedy will be avoided..."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing; tears swelled up in her eyes as she turned to look at Nagisa, who was still sleeping. "It means..." she said fighting back the tears, "She may not be born the next time..." "There's nothing we can do," Naruto said, "She was born in this world..." No longer holding back the tears, Sakura kneeled down and kissed Nagisa on the forehead. "I was beginning to love her like she was my own..." she said. "Yeah, me too." Naruto caressed her cheek and said, "I hope one day we get to meet again, little trooper."

Autumn smiled as she said, "Hurry and go back to your world. Please, let us have a few moments with Nagisa..."

Naruto and Sakura turned to face the gate. They looked back one more time to see Autumn waving goodbye and Garudo giving a thumbs-up. They both entered the Scroll of Time gate, which it disappeared after the two entered. "You know what, Garudo?" Autumn said, looking at her daughter, "Nagisa has truly grown up..." Turning his head one last time, the life in Garudo's eye faded as he said, "Yeah, she has..."

Waking up several minutes later, Naruto found himself back at the Training Grounds. "What the...?" he breathed. Then he found Sakura sleeping next to him. "Hey, Sakura!" Sakura opened her eyes seconds after, looking around. "What? Where are we?" she asked. "It looks like we're back in our_ own world_..."

"There you two are!" a voice said. Naruto looked behind him and saw Shikamaru walking up towards them. "It's been a drag just looking for you guys," he replied. "Why do I feel so sleepy?" Sakura asked rubbing her eyes. "That's because Ino saw you two passed out on here earlier. Kakashi wanted me to tell you, Naruto, that he has an assignment for you. You wants you in the office tomorrow. See ya, guys!" As Shikamaru walked away, Naruto and Sakura looked at each other.

"That _wasn't_ a dream..." Naruto said, "Was it, Sakura?" "I'm not sure, myself," Sakura walking forward. She stopped immediately and quickly paced a hand on her stomach. "Naruto...I just felt something!" He walked up to her and, softly, on his hand on her stomach. _"Can it be...?'_ he thought.

Two hours later, Naruto was standing outside the Konoha Hospital, waiting for Sakura to finish her checkup. She came out the entrance and walked up to him. "Well?" he asked. "Even _Shizune_ confirmed it," Sakura replied, "I'm pregnant. I mean, I still am..." Smiling softly, she left the hospital with Naruto following behind her.

"Have you told your parents yet?" he asked. "No," she answered, "I'd figure I wait until tomorrow. Today, however it was, has been hectic." Naruto then smiled big. "You know," he began, "It's kinda of weird! Me, being a father and all... I just wish my parents were to see me become one." "Even though it may or may not be a dream," Sakura began, "If you think about, Garudo was you, considering he was your replica. Maybe, him doing what he did, was his way of saying, _'Maybe I screwed up, and I want things to return back to the way they were...'_"

Naruto stopped in his tracks, making Sakura stop too. "I almost did the exact same thing that he and Sasuke did," he said, "I hated all of the people, who hated me, in the first years of my life just because I had Kurama within me. Honestly, there were several times where I almost pulled the trigger..." "What stopped you?" Sakura asked. "All of the people who believed in me...including you..." "Naruto..."

Both looked each other in the eyes. They leaned in for a kiss, until a mysterious, but light, wind caught their attention. They looked forward to see a person with long, pink hair. "Naruto, look!" Sakura said pointing. "No, it can't be!" Naruto said staring. The person started to run as from the village. Naruto and Sakura followed afterwards.

Running outside the village, Naruto and Sakura lost the person as they came across grassy field.

"Do you see anybody?" Naruto asked. "No," Sakura said continuing to look, "I don't see anybody. Maybe we were just hallucinating..." She then looked down and saw flowers that looked familiar. "No way...Naruto!" "Sakura?" he asked walking up to her, "What's the matter?" "Doesn't this place look familiar?" Naruto looked around and saw that this was the same place that Nagisa showed them before. "It is the same place..." he replied.

_"Well, it sure too you long enough to get up here!"_ a voice said. A bunch of flower petals flew around the meadow as Nagisa, wearing the same clothes from the beginning, appeared out of thin air in front of them. "Nagisa!" shouted Naruto. "You're here!" Sakura replied. "Of course, I am!" Nagisa replied, "Boy, you two have got a lot of nerve! Saying goodbye to me before I had a chance to say anything!" "Nagisa!" Sakura began, "It's not like we rushed it..." Nagisa just laughed. "I'm kidding! Of course, you had to leave. Even when I was unconscious, I could you two, my daddy, and my momma... I just came by to tell you that my world is about to start over again; I wanted to see you one last time..."

"We're sorry, Nagisa!" Naruto said looking down, "We did not want this to happen..." "I'm not!" Nagisa said, "Even if my world is going to disappear and restart again, the three of us are always connected. That's the reason why I came back here again; I'm going to be born in this world soon!" "That's great!" Sakura said smiling, "I hope we get to see you soon!" "Well...you won't have to look far..."

A sudden silence came upon the three.

"It's almost time for me to go," Nagisa said, "Sakura, I know that you're _with child_. And, I know that you're going to be a great mother..." "How?" Sakura asked, "How would know that, Nagisa?" "Because, when I'm born, I'll be looking into _your_ eyes..." Sakura eyes lit up as she put hand over her mouth; tears started falling from her eyes. "You mean...?" Nagisa had her eyes closed as she smiled and nodded. Sakura cried happily, no longer able to hold anything back anymore.

"I love you, Nagisa," she barely said, "I love you so much!" "I love you too..._**Momma**_..." Nagisa said. Naruto put his arm around Sakura's shoulders as he smiled. "Naruto," Nagisa said, getting his attention, "Please, take care of me okay? _Believe it_, _**Daddy**_?" "_Believe it_, Nagisa!" he said, giving her a thumbs-up. Doing the same thing, Nagisa Inugami disappeared from sight as the wind picked up and the flower petals flew around.

_"Goodbye..."_

Continuing to smile, Naruto looked at Sakura. "Hey, Sakura?" he said, with his arm now on her waist. She looked up at him. _"Let's get married."_ Smiling, Sakura closed her eyes and placed her head on Naruto's chest.

_"Sure..."_

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Naruto: Rewind - Ending Theme: Song 4 U<strong>_

_**(1st verse)**_

_"See you tomorrow"_

_Without a second thought_

_I said with a smile_

_"See you tomorrow"_

_I realize how you were there_

_to say it for me_

_If we ever get to the point_

_Where we distrust ourselves_

_In that moment, look;_

_The moon and the sun_

_Can't shine anymore_

_Within our outstretched hands_

_Beyond the light_

_The future we've been wishing for_

_Is waiting..._

_I can hear you,_

_I can feel you_

_The way you cried as you were there_

_Just by that, you've reached me_

_It's reaching me,_

_It's resonating within me_

_As the person I am, I will embrace it all_

_Even you sorrow_

_**(2nd Verse)**_

_Even now I don't have much confidence_

_And there are times when I can't move forward_

_"If I make a mistake"_

_"If I repeat that mistake"_

_What will I do?_

_If we're not faced with a choice_

_There's nothing to be anxious about_

_But then, it will also mean nothing will ever_

_Change..._

_When was it?_

_What had happened?_

_That time you decided you couldn't take it anymore_

_and everything was finished_

_What was it?_

_Who was it?_

_That made you decide that somehow you must once again_

_try to move forward_

_To you, yeah_

_I believe, I'm able to believe_

_For you, yeah_

_I feel like I could soar through the sky_

_If it was for you, my one and only..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Post Ending Scene)<strong>_

_**10 Years Later...**_

A ten-year old Nagisa just came out of the academy wearing a Leaf Headband. "I did it!" she shouted, "I graduated from the Academy!"

_"Hey, Nagisa!"_ a voice shouted. Looking forward, Nagisa saw an older Naruto and Sakura smiling at her; Naruto was wearing the Hokage Cloak. "Momma! Daddy!" she shouted running towards her parents. "Congrats, Nagisa!" Sakura said. "How should we celebrate today?" Naruto asked her. "Daddy?" Nagisa asked, "Can we go to the _meadow_?" "Do you think we have time today?" Naruto asked, looking at Sakura. "I think we have _all the time in the world_!" Sakura replied back.

At the meadow, the Uzumaki Family were sitting down in the grass; Nagisa was laying down taking a rest, with her eyes closed. "That wind sure feels good," Sakura said. "Yeah," Naruto said, "It does."

Opening her eyes, Nagisa said, "Momma...Daddy..._**If only I could rewind this moment forever... No, I only wish this could last forever...**_" Naruto and Sakura just smiled at their daughter.

_**Now It Can...**_

_**THE END**_

_**A/N: That's the end of the story! Thank you so much for following this story! Please review and hopefully, I get to do more fanfictions in the future! Happy Valentine's Day!**_

_**(Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Tales of Xillia, and Xillia 2. Neither the songs Progress or Song 4 U!)**_


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